Making Heroes
by dream7me7to7sleep
Summary: SEQUEL TO 'KEEP ME'. HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING OPENING AUTHOR'S NOTE! When our favorite couple have an unexpected, supernatural orphan dumped on their laps, untold backstories erupt around them. Ancient Gods and levels of destruction force an unprecedented alliance to be formed to stop the end of all things.
1. Chapter 1

Making Heroes

 _A/N:_ _THE SEQUEL YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!_

 _The Eric and Sookie from 'Keep Me' are back!_

 _When our favorite couple have an unexpected, supernatural orphan dumped on their laps, untold backstories erupt around them. Ancient Gods and levels of destruction force an unprecedented alliance to be formed to stop the end of all things._

 _**ADULT CONTENT WARNING!**_

 _This story includes graphic scenes of violence, sex, and allusions of abuse._

 _It is highly recommended to read ALL of my previous TB/SVM stories, but not required. Doing so will definitely increase the enjoyability of this new story. Updates will occur three times a week: Saturdays, Mondays, and Thursdays._

 _ **ALL ENCOMPASING DISCLAIMER:**_

 _ **I don't own anything. It all belongs to Charlaine Harris and HBO. I don't make anything doing this except making an example of how much of a life I do not have.**_

 _Thanks as always to Msbuffy for her awesome editing!_

 _NOW you can enjoy!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter One: Extended Family**

Sitting on her usual perch on Eric's knee at Fangtasia, Sookie Stackhouse leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes closing while the music of the club throbbed pleasantly against her membranes. It was another laid-back evening, her duties as Gatekeeper being unnecessary over the past few weeks. Given the time difference between the two realms, the telepath had to remind herself that foolish fairies would not constantly be attempting illegal entry into her world, and that patience was needed.

"You are bored," Eric chuckled, giving her side a firm squeeze.

His Bonded laughed in reply, "I suppose I am! Those first few years as Gatekeeper were quite active and things have now calmed down so much."

"Your reputation deterred many of your would-be opponents," Eric explained. "Those first few years were merely a couple of months in Elfyria. Claudine's reign was new, and the opposition keeping an open portal was a weakness for her. Now that the citizens of Elfyria know of your position, they are much warier; therefore, they will not attempt to cross through the portal as impulsively... You will need to take great care going forward. Those who attempt to cross now will strike at you immediately." Sookie could feel how unnerved this made her Bonded and she sent him reassurance in response.

"Those opal thieves from last month weren't even worth my time. Colman was right behind them through the portal. He's lucky I didn't take his head right along with them! That fool should know better than to chase fugitives into our world," Sookie huffed.

"Yes, but your cousin made sure to insist that he not repeat his actions. I think she was more than well aware of the danger he placed himself in," Eric countered.

"She did give him a good yellin' at," she chuckled.

"Yes, right there at the portal," He laughed right alongside of her, recalling the memory Sookie had shared through their telepathic link.

" _Sookie_ , _"_ the telepath sat straight up in Eric's lap when she heard Pam calling for her, _"let me talk to Eric."_

Opening her mind, she addressed her Bonded, _"Pam wants to speak with us,"_ was the only warning she gave him before Pam interrupted.

" _Master, you and Sookie need to come to your office. There is someone who needs to meet with you... More Sookie than you,"_ Pam told them quickly.

The vampire rose, lifting Sookie from his knee, and they walked side by side through the club, ignoring the tiny squeals of a few fangbangers who became weak in the knees just by Eric's proximity.

Once they entered the hallway, Sookie froze for a moment before cautiously following Eric into his office. A blonde woman was seated across the desk, her wavy hair knotted at the base of her skull. While she had waited, the woman read the framed news article on the wall of Eric's office. It was a publicity photo of Eric, Pam, Longshadow, and Sookie standing in front of the club doors, looking rather menacingly into the camera.

The woman craned her neck to watch the couple enter the room, tensing at the sight of the vampire. Nevertheless, Sookie knew she had expected Eric's presence. Hadley's jaw was clenched, her blue eyes sunken, and red bags hung beneath them.

Eric could smell the heroin in the woman's blood, yet, even if he had been unable, the physical signs were just as blatant. There was the agitated jerking of her leg, the accumulated beads of sweat in his comfortably cool office, and, the most telling of all, the long-sleeved shirt she wore on a Louisiana June evening to hide the track marks on her arms.

"Hadley," Sookie said in a low monotone.

"Sookie," Hadley responded, then a little head popped up over her shoulder after a child, too young to be called a toddler, but too old to be an infant, gazed up at her, his wheat hair and big, blue eyes staring at her in wonder.

"Eric," Sookie gestured to the woman, "this is my cousin, Hadley." She looked at her relative with clear apprehension, "Jason told you where to find me?"

"Yeah," Hadley rose after depositing the child on the floor. She barely paid him any recognition afterward, "When I called him the other day, I told him not to tell you I asked about you."

"I see," The telepath heard all of the things her cousin did not wish to say, making her arms tense in exasperation. "Your son?" She asked, gesturing to the little boy.

Hadley's lip twitched as if to keep from sneering, "Yeah."

There was a long silence while the two women stared each other down, Hadley not knowing how to say what she needed, and Sookie trying to force her to say it, to utter her condemning request.

"He's," she looked down at the little boy who looked to be verge of tears, "like _you_."

"Yes," Sookie agreed, and Eric glanced at her so quickly, Hadley never even noticed.

"So I thought..." Hadley trailed off, expecting Sookie to know what she wanted, but the younger woman was going to make her say it. _What words would she choose?_ Sookie wondered. Hadley finally seemed to find her voice, "Well, since you overcame it, he might be better off with you."

"Overcame what?" Eric asked.

"Her mental illness!" Hadley spat, and Sookie knew that her cousin had the same aversion that her own mother, Linda, had toward the mentally-impaired, except, Hadley and Linda had never understood what Sookie truly was.

"Her _what_?" Eric snarled, and Sookie placed a comforting hand in his.

"How long would it take you to make him normal, like you?" Hadley ignored the vampire.

"He will never be normal," Sookie replied in a rather empty voice. "He will always be special. Who is his father?"

"I don't know," Hadley squirmed uncomfortably. "There were a few guys around then. Didn't catch all their names. You know how it is."

"No, she does not," Eric snapped. "Are you telling me that you wish for us to raise your bastard child for you because you do not know how to deal with his gift?"

"I can't afford the same institutions that Sookie got!" Hadley replied shortly.

"Lucky him," Eric chastised. "Although if he had needed medical attention, I am certain you could have afforded it had you not spent all of your money on drugs." Hadley recoiled at Eric's accurate accusation as if she had been slapped.

" _Eric..."_ The vampire looked to Sookie then, and he felt exactly what she felt. She was full of need and determination. _"I can do it. Please... I need to..."_

"Who else knows of him?" Eric asked, changing his demeanor.

"He's seven months. I mean, my mom knows about him, and I guess the doctor and nurses... Not too many people really know him. Ma noticed he had a lot of the same tells Sookie had when she was his age, and told me to..." The single mother stopped herself, but Sookie heard exactly what Linda had said.

 _~ "Get rid of that thing before it destroys your life, even more than you've already done. That freak cousin of yours destroyed my brother's life and Jason's. That's exactly what that thing will do to you if you keep it!" ~_

Sookie's lip curled at the flickering memory her cousin had recollected, "Far greater things than I could have possibly conjured are what ruined so many lives, not my ability. People ruined my family, not me." She was reaching down to scoop up the baby boy, and, once she did, she felt him lean toward Eric after she rose and stood beside him. Of course, the baby telepath would want to lean toward the silence her lover offered, and the vampire seemed to realize the same thing when he offered a long finger to the baby boy. Once his tiny fist grasped the offered digit, they all heard him coo contentedly. "You'll get what you want, Hadley, even more than you knew."

"What do you-" Eric caught Hadley's gaze before she could make her inquiry.

"You know nothing of Sookie's telepathy. There was nothing special about your son, nothing different. He died suddenly in his sleep shortly after he was born. You have come to terms with that, and have moved on," He glamoured her, incensed at how effortlessly she seemed to accept the alterations to her memory.

Although glamouring was very effective and rarely did it not take; it was a very delicate, difficult undertaking to erase a memory of someone close, making it disappear for all time. It was considered impossible to erase the memory of a child from a parent and, sometimes, other close relatives. There were always cases when glamour could be used to ease the despair of losing a child, but not erase the child's existence altogether. Even though Eric could not remove the child's existence, normally there was a profound and evident resistance to the glamouring of a parents' memories to 'kill' a child. Hadley did not resist whatsoever; in fact, she seemed to welcome the alteration, and this both angered and disgusted the vampire.

"Sookie, I will return your cousin to her mother's house and alter your aunt's memories, too. Stay in my office with your... Stay here with the child, and lock the door until I return," Sookie nodded at Eric's instructions, and seated herself and the baby on the leather sofa.

After Eric left her, making certain to have locked the door behind him, Sookie turned to the baby on her lap, and stared down into his big eyes, "I know my mind isn't exactly silent, but I promise you, Little Guy, you'll never again hear a bad thing about yourself from someone who should be lovin' you. Never, ever again!" She squeezed him gently to her chest, "You're never gonna wish you were anyone other than who you are," she whispered in his ear. "You're gonna have an Uncle Jason who thinks you're freakin' awesome, and I'm gonna love you to death. You're gonna be sick of me, I'm gonna love you so much!" She held him a bit tighter. "Eric is gonna teach you so much. You're gonna be the smartest little boy in the whole world, and you're gonna have absolutely every advantage I can give you."

" _Sookie,"_ She heard Eric's voice in her head. _"please calm down. I understand, I really do understand how much this means to you. How... Important this is to you, but you need to relax. He is safe with you right now. There is no reason to be so intense."_

" _Thank you, Eric. I know you feel what I do, but I don't think you understand it,"_ She responded.

" _You want to make his life right in the way yours never was. He is your reflection, and you are adamant on giving him everything you never had, right from the beginning. You do not wish for him to suffer all of his life before finally receiving his compensation,"_ Eric summarized.

" _Okay, so you might understand,"_ Sookie choked back a laugh.

" _I have never understood anyone as well as I understand you,_ " Eric assured. _"I am approaching your aunt's home now. I will see you shortly."_

Sookie remained seated with her ward, gazing into his big, trusting eyes, "I wonder if you liked the name my cousin gave you... I wish her thoughts of you had been glamoured in there... That something sinister caused her to feel that way about you, but the only thing that made her believe all those things was her upbringing. Linda did that to her, not you, kiddo. Okay?" She brushed his soft hair with her fingertips. "My cousin called you Hunter... I don't know that you'll be keepin' your name, since Eric's gonna be erasing your existence... I wish he wouldn't do that. Getting my birth certificate back was a really important moment for me, but that was because I'd been swept under the carpet and made like I didn't exist for so long, but I'm not gonna shut you away from the world. You'll learn to control your gift real early, and get to have a whole life and a real childhood. You'll have friends and go to school, and it'll be fun and excitin', so don't be mad when you're older that we had to give you a fresh start when you were a baby. When you're a bit older, if you want, we'll find Hadley again, and you can show her just how amazing you are, and what an idiot she was for lettin' go of you."

Of course, the child could not fathom what the woman who held him was saying, but he liked the sound of her voice, and the thoughts in her head. His gift was weak and untrained; therefore, he was not being assaulted by the inappropriate thoughts of the club-goers as he would have if she had not been blocking their musings. Thankfully, her time with Octavia had taught her to conceal her thoughts, so that they could not be read, though she never would have guessed she would have needed such a skill.

Through the Bond, Sookie could feel Eric's mood fluctuating between irritated, then vindicated pleasure once she was certain Linda's memories had been altered. He was in flight soon after, but she knew he would be heading toward the nearest hospital to glamour an unsuspecting doctor into filling out Hunter's death certificate. Eric accomplished all of this quickly and soon, he was "calling" to her through their connection that granted them their ability to teleport to one another. It had been a few years before Eric understood and could manipulate this gift. He had found it much easier to drag _her_ through time and space, rather than to do it himself. As Master of the Blade that had bound them, he could both teleport to her or bring her to him within a single realm, but Sookie could only go to him, not bring him to her location. As they had learned in her fight with the fae, he could not teleport to her between realms, only return her back to his side.

Not that it mattered, she thought, after Eric's arms encircled both her and Hunter. As long as they could get to each other when needed, it did not bother the woman that they did not possess the same power.

"I suppose we should take the young one home," Eric whispered in her ear. "It is late for an infant, yes?"

"Mmm," She hummed in agreement. "He is tired."

"How are you able to tell?" Eric asked as he helped her to her feet.

"His mind. He is processing everything very slowly, but not just slow the way a baby would. It's a tired slow," she explained.

"Ah," was all Eric responded with while they walked out of his office and to the back entrance of the club. "Will you inform Pam of our plans and tell her to shut down the club herself tonight?"

"Yes," Sookie replied, doing as he asked, not at all surprised at Pam's response to their taking on raising a hybrid child.

" _Another fairy hybrid in our lives?"_ Pam asked mentally, trying to sound bored, but failing dreadfully. It was much more difficult for her to remain nonchalant in her head, _"This is ridiculous. Your lot is supposed to be a rare breed, and now we have landed two of you in less than a decade!"_ She sounded exasperated.

" _Yes, but he is family_ , _"_ Sookie replied.

" _Family!"_ came Pam's annoyed reply, and the vampiress did not have to send the telepath her thoughts on family to enlighten her. Pam believed she was more Sookie's family than any of her blood relatives would ever be. Even though Jason was of importance to her, Sookie had to agree. In the six years she had grown to know her brother, or even all the time she had known her cousin, Claudine, Sookie felt as though Eric, Godric, and Pam were her true family.

" _He_ _ **will**_ _be family,"_ Sookie corrected.

" _I suppose,"_ Pam conceded. _"Tell Eric that I will do as he says."_

" _Thank you,"_ Sookie turned to look at her Bonded while she held Hunter snugly to her chest, "Pam's on it... Could we stop by Wal-Mart first? I need to get a carseat for this little guy."

"There is one behind you." He jerked his thumb toward the back, "I liberated the one from your cousin's vehicle seeing as she would have no need for it."

Sookie craned her neck and looked the carseat she had not noticed, poking a rounded edge up behind her. "Oh," she laughed.

"I will secure it in your BMW after we get to the house, and you may go shopping with him tomorrow for any other necessities then." Eric was in a peculiar mood, and it left Sookie presuming.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in apology for having placed him in such a situation.

"Why are you apologizing?" Eric asked, brow furrowed.

"I'm sorry that this is goin' to completely disrupt our lives, and you're only doin' it because you know it's what I want," she said softly.

"You _are_ my life," Eric told her as he stared ahead at the dark road. "Besides, children grow quickly, especially quick for those of us who do not age. He will be an adult in a short time, and you will not have aged much by that time either. We lose nothing by taking him in, but," he looked directly at Sookie then for a long moment, "you will gain much in this experience, of that I am certain."

Sookie smiled at him in that instant he looked at her, "I love you, you know."

"Yes, I do know, and I love you, too," He gave her a quick wink before looking back at the road.

"So, what are we goin' to tell people, or vampires for that matter?" Sookie asked.

"I have arranged that Hunter Delahoussaye is dead," Eric replied after a moment. "I will be giving him a new identity shortly. As to the origin of his identity, and his purpose for coming to us... I have yet to make any definite decisions. This was not a possibility I was prepared for on _any_ level," he admitted. "Still, the child's ability and origin are best kept secret." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before asking, "Do you have any suggestions on the matter? We will need to think of a name for him as well."

"Could he keep his first name?" she asked.

"It is not advisable. I would prefer that we minimize any connections to his previous life," Eric smiled apologetically.

"I figured you would say somethin' like that," She smiled back ruefully. "Guess I should think of a name, too, to put on his new birth certificate..."

"Are we going to invent a last name for him, or would you wish for him to take your surname?" Eric asked.

"I thought maybe he could take _your_ s," She stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "After all, if they ever allow vampire marriage, _I'm_ takin' your name."

"You could take my name now, if you wished. The government cannot keep you from doing that. Only, at this time, we may not have a legally-recognized wedding. We could always have a ceremony, though, one that would be recognized by the Supernatural community," and then Eric took her hand, kissing the back of it.

"Isn't that what our Bonding ceremony was?" Sookie asked.

"That was not what I wanted to give you," He frowned, remembering their rushed bonding ceremony those six years ago. "That was more of an elopement than a wedding. We could do something special, instead." 

Sookie shook her head quickly and laughingly said, "Wait, wait... How did we get on weddings!? We have a lot more to take care of than that right now!"

"Just another thing to think about and consider," He chuckled, letting go of her hand and allowing it to return to cradling the child who had dozed off.

"Should we tell Jason the truth?" she asked, staring out into the thickets of bushes and trees along the road.

"It would be..."

"Unadvisable," Sookie sighed. "It's a good thing you don't die for the day and I don't sleep much... We're goin' to have a lot to figure out before dawn..."

Eric was pulling into the garage a short time later, and Sookie carried her ward into the house as carefully and quietly as she could. He only stirred slightly as she settled on to the couch, and Eric silently deposited the diaper bag he had commandeered from Hadley on the floor next to it.

"Well, Lover, shall we begin our planning?" Eric asked softly, in deference to the infant's sleeping state, as he sat down beside Sookie.

"I don't even know where to start," Sookie confessed.

"We shall begin with the child's origins," Eric submitted.

"Well, you already worked it so he won't be Hadley's, and he can't be mine, or questions of my fidelity will be called into question." He felt her blood boil with the thought of the latter possibility.

"Very true. Then there are the legal issues of our adopting him, given that you would not be known as a blood relative, and vampires have not been approved to become legal guardians of human children," Eric nodded thoughtfully.

"Where does that leave us?" Sookie griped.

"With a lot of red tape to cut, and a good amount of money to forge documents," Eric breathed out.

Sookie gazed down at the boy who slumbered against her chest. He did not seem comfortable, so the woman turned on the sofa to rest her legs in Eric's lap and her head on the couch's arm, so they could both lay more comfortably. Her hand settled on the child's back, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his ribs as he breathed.

"What do you suggest?" she asked gently.

"The Supernatural community is well adept at accepting one Supe becoming guardian to another with or without blood relation. It is how many of them survive and thrive. It is common practice among Were and shifter packs. Weres take care of Were children as well as orphaned shifters. They are not as much of a worry as humans." He looked to Sookie, "We could forge documents stating that he is your child to appease the humans, but the Supernatural world would know him as an orphaned Supe."

Eric knew Sookie detested the mere notion that her fidelity could be called into question by anyone, even humans. "It would not necessarily have to be your child through extramarital affairs..." he told her carefully.

"What do you mean?" Sookie asked.

"We could say you wished to bear a child and became artificially impregnated since I lack the capacity to perform that need for you," He was cautious while he made this suggestion.

"Wouldn't they do a blood test?" Sookie asked.

Eric shook his head, "No, all of his papers will need to be forged because no proof of his life remains any longer."

Sookie nodded slowly, "I would like to have Ludwig examine him... Hadley has a drug problem. I want to be certain that he is healthy."

"That is a good idea. I could smell heroin in her blood during our meeting with her. There is a strong possibility that she was addicted throughout her pregnancy. Although I believe he is well long past the breastfeeding stage, it would be good to know if he suffered any damage prior," Eric was agreeable. "Shall I call her now?"

"Let's get a bit more figured out beforehand," Sookie closed her eyes, enjoying the fluttering heartbeat of the baby against her hand.

Eric smiled at her euphoric expression. Though Sookie had never shown a maternal impulse before, he was astonished to find she had the capacity. It awoke a primal response in him, one he had not experienced ever since his human existence.

"Mmm, you're enjoyin' seein' me with a baby," she chuckled quietly.

"There is nothing more beautiful than a woman with a baby... One who wishes to have that baby, that is," he added after remembering Hadley's lack of interest in the boy.

"I want to name him Lukas," Sookie informed him after a moment.

"Lukas?" Eric asked curiously.

Her eyes opened slightly, still hooded with the sedation of holding the baby, "It means "Light"."

"I know this," he laughed, "but why did you choose it?"

"Because he will be my light... Maybe he will be what keeps me from fallin' back into darkness again," she whispered.

Eric was quiet after the admission she had made. In the past five years, they had never spoken aloud of the fear Sookie had about revisiting the darkness of her role as Gatekeeper, nor her rampage that had claimed the lives of nearly five-score fairies. He knew very well that, despite her external nonchalance over her kills, Sookie always wondered, deep down, if she was truly a monster.

 _~ "Did I lose my light?" Sookie asked one night, sobbing into his chest._

" _Whatever do you mean, my Bonded?" Eric responded worriedly._

" _My light. Godric told me not to lose it. I think it's gone out."_

 _"You will always be_ _ **my**_ _light." ~_

"How do you know the name 'Lukas'?" Eric asked.

"I was bored and looked up the meaning of your name," Sookie shrugged. "'Eternal Ruler'," she chuckled. "It works for an immortal like you. Lukas was listed right near it because they were about the same level of popularity, and I remembered seeing it's meaning. It sort of stuck with me. Maybe this was why?"

"I like it," Eric smiled at her. "And you wished for him to take my last name?"

"Yes," her eyes opened fully, "and I want us to have a marriage ceremony, even if it won't be a legal one." She glanced down at the engagement ring she had worn for nearly six years, "This ring is getting lonesome," she teased, wriggling her fingers at him.

Eric laughed right back and gave her leg a little squeeze, "Marriage and a baby, Miss Stackhouse, you have domesticated me more fully than I ever thought would be possible."

"That's me, your own personal world-upside-down-turner," She grinned up at him.

"Life has been a great adventure since you became a part of it. When you become as old as I am, it is enjoyable to have freshness, no matter the costs," Eric placed his hand over hers, over Lukas' back. "What's more, I know how much this means to you."

Smiling at her understanding Bonded, Sookie merely nodded and closed her eyes once more. There was no more need for words. The most pressing issues had been resolved in that they had made their decisions. Now, Eric would only need time to secure the proper documents for their newest family member, and get a few points across to the Supernatural community. Thankfully, the child's age was right in the range between negotiations with humans and the opening of Fangtasia. That meant Sookie could say he was born before the opening, but not showing at the time she had been dealing with humans. If anyone questioned why the baby had never been seen, they could merely reply that they had been waiting for him to grow a bit before bringing him near the club. Luckily, Pam had brought Hadley in through the back entrance, minimizing her exposure to the rest of their world. In the event someone _had_ noticed her, Eric and Sookie could say she had been their babysitter.

They both doubted that any humans would ask too many questions; in fact, they counted on it.

Still, none of this made Sookie anxious. The feel of the baby resting against her body was both soothing and exciting. Nothing mattered more than him in that moment, and she was happy to keep it as such. After all, it was not every day one became a _mother._

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Remember to review!**

 **-Andi**


	2. Chapter 2

Making Heroes

 _A/N: As always, thanks to **Msbuffy** for the hard work on editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Two: Adjustment**

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!" Sookie chanted while Lukas wailed in her ear. She balanced him on her hip as she attempted to fix a bottle of formula one-handed. "Shh, shhh," She tried to shush him, but the boy clutched at her blouse with his tiny fists, and his cries only grew more insistent.

"Sookie," Eric came into the kitchen, perplexed by his Bonded's flustered state, "what in the world is wrong?" He could feel that she was becoming upset, and could not understand why.

"I don't know how to make formula, and he won't stop crying, and I can't do it one-handed, but if I put him down, he gets even _more_ upset and he won't stop crying!" She whined as tears began streaming down her own face.

Eric chuckled at her distress once he realized what made her upset. "Babies cry, Sookie. It does not mean that you are doing a bad job," he assured, coming to her side and taking Lukas from her arms. "Now, calm down and make the formula. There is no reason to cry yourself." He patted the boy's back firmly while he spoke with Sookie.

All the while, Lukas continued screeching like a banshee, and Eric stood beside her with an encouraging look once she calmed enough to read the directions on the container, mix it, and then heat the baby's bottle. The vampire handed the child over to her, and once the bottle was in his mouth, Lukas settled quickly.

"See? Not a crisis," Eric laughed at Sookie's mussed up hair and patted it down, amused at the tiny puff of formula powder that erupted from her scalp when he did so. "While I finish feeding him, go take your shower, so you may meet up with Angie on time."

"You'll watch him while I shower?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes, I will keep an eye on him," Eric chuckled again. "Go!" He swatted her bottom playfully after she hesitated, and Sookie ran off to the bathroom at his urging. "Well, little Lukas, now it is just us men," he told the boy while he grabbed a dishtowel and threw it over his shoulder before bringing the baby to his chest. "You will forgive me if I am very out of practice with this. My human children were a long ago experience for me," he told him. "Now I am only able to recollect what to do with infants from what I have seen in movies and television." The baby gurgled, a bit of formula coming up with a tiny burp. Eric wiped his lips with the towel and patted his back carefully. "Be easy on... your mother," It took him a moment to call Sookie that, but if they were going to do this, he would have to get used to it now. "She takes the responsibility of raising you just as earnestly as any honorable woman would with their own child." Lukas nuzzled into Eric's shoulder while he let the man's deep baritone and silent mind sooth him. "She wishes for you to have not just a good life, but an exceptional one, a life filled with all of the experiences and advantages she never had."

The vampire stood in the kitchen, holding the small boy until Sookie returned, hair still damp and clinging to her face. "Thank you!" She reached for Lukas, but Eric held the boy with no sign of relinquishing him. "What?"

"Sookie, your dress is on backward, and you are not wearing shoes," Eric pointed out. Sookie looked down her front to see he was completely on point with his observation. "Put yourself to rights, and then let us sit down in the living room." Eric, still holding Lukas, walked past the room divider in the kitchen to the living room and sat on the black sofa while he waited for Sookie to join them. She tucked her arms into her dress, then spun it around before pushing her arms back out and went to hunt down her shoes. When she found them, she hurried to the living room, sitting down with a grunt, and crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at Lukas and Eric expectantly.

"I already know it is pointless to urge you to relax. You will always be high strung in regard to the child," He looked down to the boy a moment before looking back to Sookie, "but I will tell you this. _You are not doing any of this_ _alone_. You need not be shocked when I take care of him, or feel so ashamed when I do. He is not just your responsibility." Sookie nodded slowly in acceptance. "Though I accepted responsibility for him because I knew it was what you wanted, that does not mean I am not committed to taking this course with the same complete devotion as you." With another solemn nod, Sookie waited for him to continue, "Now that you are assured raising him does not fall entirely on your shoulders, let us discuss some of your worries." He waited for her to start, but Sookie remained silent. "Sookie?" he pressed.

"I'm scared I'll do a bad job," she whispered.

Eric smiled, "That is a reasonable fear. I know it is not the same thing, but I was scared that I would not train Pamela well after I brought her over. I was even scared that I was not doing the best for you when I took you in. We can only do what we know, and try and learn as we go. I admit that in my human years I had a few children, but had little interaction with them." Sookie's eyes widened at his admission. Eric had told her very little of his human life, but only because it never came up and Sookie had never pressed the topic. "More than many things have changed since I was a father, but I know that we will raise a fine child, and Lukas is much better off with us than a heroin-addicted mother and loathsome grandmother." Sookie nodded. "You are already caring for him better than his biological mother. Never doubt that."

"I'm scared that my job as Gatekeeper will... Warp him," she continued.

"It is your duty, Sookie, and as a supernatural child raised by supernatural parents, he will understand the differences between dealing with Supes versus dealing with humans. We will be sure to explain it all to him as he grows," Eric imparted to her patiently.

"But how healthy will it be for a kid to be raised in a family surrounded by so much death?" She asked sadly, "What if I just make his life as miserable as mine was, in a completely different but, equally fucked-up way?" She pressed her fists against her mouth as she thought of this.

"He will understand our lives, Sookie. He will know the differences between what we do and being a murderer. We are not psychopaths." Sookie glanced at him, "The killing spree in Elfyria, not-withstanding."

"It should be withstanding," She frowned. "After all, what if something happens to one of us and the other goes on another rampage? What if Lukas gets caught up in the mix, and we hurt him or get him hurt?" Sookie shook her head. "Maybe I'm just bein' selfish wanting to raise him. The right thing to do would be finding him a real home, not pretending that I'm good for him."

"He will need you in his life, Sookie," Eric told her earnestly. "You have thought your entire life that you were a freak. Do you not believe he may think the same thing of himself? Knowing you will assure him that he is not alone in the world." He smiled at her now. "As for being selfish, well... If you do the right thing, and it just so happens that you wanted to do it in the first place, that does not make it any less of a gift. It is when you turn away from the wrong thing, even though you wish to do it, that you learn if you are selfish or not."

Sookie snorted, "Then I'm one selfish lady!"

"I will wait to finalize his documents. He is young, and will only be tended to by Dr. Ludwig. We will see how he fits in our circumstances as well as how they may affect him," Eric conveyed, "Now, I am going to secure the carseat in your car, and then you will be on your way to meet Angie." He rose and deposited Lukas in Sookie's lap as he passed her.

"Thanks, Eric," Sookie called after him as he walked to the garage to install the carseat. Looking down at Lukas, Sookie tilted her head to gaze at him, "I'm goin' to do my best, Kiddo. I hope it's enough." She rose and grabbed the diaper bag while she hurried to follow Eric to the garage. She was surprised to find that he had the carseat secured already, and he took his time in showing her how to strap in Lukas.

"How did you figure this out so fast?" Sookie asked him, maybe with a little bit of attitude.

"I looked up the model number last night and read the directions. It was not difficult." Eric laughed once the baby was secured where he needed to be. "Now, have a good time out, and be careful with any information you give Angie," he reminded.

"Well, Jason's goin' to hear the partial truth, anyway, and we both know how good he is at keepin' secrets from Angie," She grimaced, making Eric laugh.

"Yes, I suppose that is true," He kissed the top of her head one last time, "I will see you later. Have a good time."

Grinning at him, Sookie flung the diaper bag into the car and drove off. Her fingertips tapped the wheel nervously as she drove. Thinking about what needed to be explained was putting her on edge, nearly as much as becoming a mother overnight and without warning.

Lukas was gurgling in his carseat, his little hands holding a teething ring while he looked out the window with curiosity. His little mind was all a mass of pictures and indistinguishable sounds, but the general tone let Sookie know that he was uneasy about being in the car. The telepath wondered if he was worried she would leave him behind just as his mother had.

Opening her mind to him, Sookie projected her thoughts to the baby boy, allowing him to see her envisioning watching him grow up. She thought about seeing him off on his first day of school, helping him pick out clothes for a dance, and taking pictures of him with a beautiful date for prom. Of course, all of these Hallmark moments were just speculation on Sookie's part. She had never had any of these for herself, and was uncertain of how all of it was supposed to happen, but she could piece together a world of youthful expectations from what she had seen in movies and television.

Pulling up into the shopping center's parking lot, Sookie exited the car and then took Lukas out of his carseat in the back. The baby clung to her tightly when he was once more in her arms, and it made Sookie's heart ache. He still believed she intended to leave him somewhere. A sudden tightness filled her chest that he would be so afraid she could do something her head could not possibly condone, let alone her heart.

"I got you, Baby," Sookie crooned, bouncing gently with him while she walked toward the building to wait for Angie by the entrance. "You're goin' to meet Mamma's friend, but you're stayin' with Mamma, not gettin' passed off, okay? So don't get nervous when you see her."

The pair stood for about ten minutes before an abnormal turquoise head bobbed in their direction. Angie came to a sudden stop once she saw the baby in Sookie's arms, and her head tilted curiously as strands of bright blue hair flit across her face.

"Who's this?" Angie asked in a baby voice, waving her index finger at the baby boy.

"This is Lukas!" Sookie turned the boy, so that his back rested against her chest, and Angie could get a better view, "He's an orphaned Supe, and Eric and I will be raising him."

"Wow!" Angie gawked, "He's got a strong presence. What is he?"

"I think he's a hybrid like me. He has gifts, but since he's a baby, I'm the only one who knows for sure that they're there," Sookie explained.

"Do you know what all he's able to do?" Angie asked, playing with his little fingers and cooing at him.

"I really can't say," Sookie answered apologetically. "For his safety, it is best that we keep his abilities under wraps until he's old enough for Eric and me to be able to train him in order for him to protect himself."

"I can't believe it!" Angie was still mesmerized. "How did you two get ahold of him?"

"Again, I can't say," Sookie grimaced, "but...does he have the same aura as me? Like a fairy-witch hybrid?"

Angie shook her head, "No... His is much more distributed. I don't know if he's part-witch and something else, or part-fairy and something else, but there's a weird variant between your aura and his. His seems all-encompassing, where yours is concentrated on your third eye chakra."

Sookie loved how in-touch Angie was with auras. The telepath could manipulate hers with energy techniques, but she had never been good at "seeing" what she did not project with intent.

"So, he's like me, but not all the way." Sookie nodded. "Maybe Ludwig will have some ideas. Eric and I were goin' to give her a call tonight, but we just got the little guy last night. It was a madhouse gettin' him settled in for the night," she admitted.

"Understandable," Angie nodded as they went into the mall, "So, are we shopping for him?"

"Yeah, I need all kinds of baby stuff! I have no idea what I'll need," She was feeling more than a little flustered at the prospect.

"Don't worry, Sugar, we'll get you squared away," Angie grinned at her.

They plopped the baby in a stroller/cart at the entrance of the mall and began their wandering. Angie was as helpful as ever, letting Sookie stow away the larger items in her Scion with it's convenient hatchback and plentiful storage space. The witch even said she would happily follow Sookie home and help set up.

"You're the best, Ang," Sookie sighed in relief once they had stowed the last of the big boxes in the vehicle and went to put the smaller packages in her BMW.

"No prob!" Angie shrugged before asking, "So, how are you guys workin' out adopting Lukas? I mean, the human laws haven't exactly worked in the favor of vamps adopting..."

"Eric is gettin' documents forged stating Lukas is my biological child. Artificial insemination and stuff. Y'know?" Sookie explained, though Angie could tell that her friend was not happy about the farce. "I don't interact with humans much, so it'll be pretty easy to say I was pregnant before Fangtasia opened, and we just didn't bring him with us up until now because we were waitin' for him to get a bit bigger." Once the last of the boxes were loaded into her car, she slammed the trunk down, and lifted Lukas out of his stroller, "He said Supes raise one another a lot, so we won't get any problems just sayin' we're raisin' an orphaned Supe when it comes to Weres, witches, and vamps."

Angie was nodding in understanding, "Well, you're definitely falling into the role with grace." She laughed, "I've never seen a new mommy so put together!"

Sookie snorted, "You should have seen me earlier. I was a wreck while I was tryin' to fix him a bottle. Eric had to take him from me and help me to calm down, but we talked after Lukas was fed, and I'm a lot more relaxed about bein' a mom now. I'm not goin' to lie, though. I feel like I could have a panic attack at the drop of a hat over him!"

Angie laughed, "Sounds about right. Well, let's get you and Lukas home. It's almost five, and you'll want to have everything set up before Eric rises. Maybe you can get him to clean up all the assembly mess later!" she teased.

Sookie had not thought about the fact that Eric would be awake when Angie came over, and she quickly sent to him mentally, _"Eric, you might want to shut yourself away in a bit. Angie is helpin' me bring some stuff over in a couple minutes."_

" _I will stay in our room until she leaves, or until dark, whichever comes first,"_ he assured.

"Okay, let's get movin'!" Sookie grinned.

After arriving at Sookie's home, the women went to work unloading their purchases. Angie kept an eye on Lukas while he crawled around the floor, and Sookie went about required assembling on various pieces of furniture. It was nice to have someone watch the little guy while Sookie worked; therefore, keeping the new mother from having to worry that he might swallow one of the hundreds of pieces of hardware that were part of the assembly process. Angie offered to help, but Sookie could hear in her head just how horrible she knew she was at putting things together.

"You two have been busy." Angie jumped at Eric's sudden appearance in the guest room on the opposite side of the house of the master bedroom. "Is this all for Lukas?" he asked, crouching down where Sookie sat cross-legged on the floor, working part J into part A, with dozens of little screws and washers littering the area around her. There were several pieces of baby furniture already constructed, and it appeared Sookie was finishing up the last one.

"Yes, I didn't realize how much stuff a baby needs," Sookie grunted as she put the last pin into place, then stood to admire her handiwork. "What do you think?" she asked, wiping her sweaty hands onto her skirt and then crossing her arms over her chest.

"I think you did a wonderful job," Eric kissed the side of her head, regretting that he could not assist her with her friend around. "Angie, would you like to stay for dinner? If you call him now, I believe you might catch Jason before he leaves the city to head back to Bon Temps," he suggested.

"Ooh, that would be nice!" Angie grinned, grabbing her phone from her pocket and dialing her boyfriend. "Hey, Jason! Come to your sister's house, I'm gonna make us all dinner here, and we've got a surprise for you!"

" _A surprise... Well, I'm already on the highway, so I'll have to exit off and circle back. See you in awhile... Why are you makin' dinner at my sister's house?"_ he asked.

"It's a long story, but Sookie's worked real hard all day, so I decided to make the dinner and let her relax," Angie explained.

" _Oh, well, that's real nice of you, Baby. You're the best girlfriend ever, goin' as far as to watch out for my little sis,"_ Jason's voice was a contented one.

"Well, don't forget, I was friends with your sister long before I knew you!" Angie laughed, "Love you. Talk to you in a bit!" She hung up and spun on her heel. "I'm goin' to go raid your kitchen!" she announced.

Eric watched the woman bounce out of the room before turning to Sookie and smiling down at her. "Did you have a good day?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Yes!" Her arms reached up to encircle his neck, and he had to lift her slightly up off the ground to accomplish. "Why did you invite Angie to stay?" she asked.

Eric braced her against his body with one hand while he freed the other to reach up to her face and push away a stray strand of hair, "Because you have felt so assured around her today. Since we brought Lukas home, you have not been so... Grounded...and you are enjoying it. I only wish to prolong that feeling for you."

"I do... I feel normal," Sookie whispered, not even noticing that her eyes darted from his face to glance at Lukas every couple of seconds. Yet, Eric noticed, and he loved how quickly she had taken to being Lukas' protector. "I feel as though I have a great big family, one that's carin' and lovin'... I want that for him. I don't want him relyin' on just me. I want him to have an Uncle Jas and Aunt Ang, too. I know how quickly loved ones can be ripped from your life, and I need to be sure that if anything happens to me-"

"Sookie, shhh." Eric leaned in and kissed her lips comfortingly. "Nothing will happen to you. You and Lukas will always be safe," he assured.

With a relieved sigh, Sookie rested her forehead against Eric's chest. The past twenty-four hours had been a blur, and Sookie felt uncharacteristically exhausted. She knew it was just the stress, and that she was not in need of sleep, but the idea of a long nap sounded very enticing.

"Yes, a nap sounds like a good idea for you," Eric kissed her forehead gently. "Get some sleep, Lover, and I will take care of Lukas."

"Eric...?" she asked hesitantly, her body turning toward the bedroom.

"It will be awhile before your brother arrives. I will awaken you when he does," he assured.

With a gentle smile, Sookie tilted her head back for a kiss, "I love you."

Eric's own lips tilted upward to return her smile while his mouth brushed against her own, "And I love you." He gave her bottom a swat as he pulled away from the kiss. "Now, go take a nap," he teased.

Sookie rolled her eyes and went to their bedroom to rest. After she left the room, Eric scooped down to pick up Lukas. "Well, Young One," he rumbled. "How did you enjoy your day with Aunt Angela?" He asked, raising the small child above his head and giving him a gentle shake. Lukas gurgled and waved his little arms around happily before Eric brought him back to his chest. "You will meet your Uncle Jason tonight as well," he told the boy when he walked out of the room and into the kitchen where Angela was raiding the refrigerator. "Good evening, Angela," He nodded to her as she peeked out from around the refrigerator door.

"Hi, Eric," She smiled at him easily.

It had taken a little over a year after his attack for Angela to lose her nervousness around him. As hard as she had fought the urge to jump every time she saw or heard him, she could not shake the anxiety.

After twelve months of the panic, Angie finally became frustrated enough to ask Eric to glamour it out of her. The vampire had been hesitant, but when Sookie explained the reason why, he relented. He did not remove the memory of his attack upon her, but attached a feeling of serenity to his voice and appearance. Usually such glamours would not hold for long, but when they were requested, they were much easier to maintain.

Angela's request that he glamour her to no longer be afraid of him had been surprising. Eric had nearly murdered her, yet, only months later, she was trying to be around him and Sookie. Regret had plagued him, and he knew that Angela remained wary of him. It would have made more sense if the witch had refused to be anywhere near him, but Angela was strong and loyal. Eric admired that greatly and went out of his way to carry on genuine conversation with her in an attempt to show repentance.

"How was your shopping?" he asked, sitting at the kitchen's island counter, watching the witch work.

"We had a great time," Angie beamed at him. "Lukas was a doll the whole time, too. Plus, you know it doesn't take any prodding to get me to help Sookie spend your money."

Eric chuckled, "Yes, whether it is clothes, jewels, food, or baby things, you certainly do not let her spare any expense. I am glad for that. I enjoy her having quality things."

"She'd be perfectly happy with nothing," Angie replied while putting a pot of water on the stove to boil. "As long as she had you… Of course, today…"

"Today?" Eric pressed.

Angie shrugged, "She seems really attached to that little guy already… I mean, you guys just took him in last night, and Sookie is already extremely intense about him. I'd expect it of a traditional mother, or a mother who had been _trying_ to adopt a child, but it was surprising to see in something so spontaneous. My little empath power was tingling like crazy around those two, she already loves him so much!"

"Their likenesses made the bonding very quick and strong," Eric agreed. "Sookie sees much of herself in the child."

"They kinda look alike," Angie nodded. "Same eyes and nose..." Eric could see a spark of dawning on the witch's face, "And... Jason's chin... Eric," she cried, "whose child _is that_!?"

"Angela," Eric's voice was a careful warning, "drop it now, or I will be forced to glamour you."

The witch was stiff for a moment, then she calmed enough to nod in understanding, "All right, Eric," she whispered. "I doubt Jason will let it drop, though," she pointed out.

"I will tell him as I am telling you now. Conjecture all you like in your own mind, but you will have no confirmations from neither me nor Sookie," He stroked the boy's back while Angie seemed to accept the circumstances, and she returned to her meal preparations.

Jason arrived a little over thirty-minutes later, grinning up at Eric as he opened the door, "Hey," the man greeted as his brother-in-law stepped to the side, allowing him entry, "smells good in here!" he commented as he could practically taste the aroma emanating from the kitchen. "Where's my sister?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Taking a nap. She has had a very long day," Eric told him while they walked to the kitchen. "I told her I would wake her once you arrived," he assured.

"Oh, okay," Jason's grin widened when he saw his girlfriend standing in front of the stove. After he had made sure she was not holding anything in her hands, he ran up behind her and hugged her tightly, "There's my sweetheart!" He bear hugged her tightly, bringing Angie's feet off the ground before kissing the side of her head, "What are you cookin' that smells so good?" He looked over her shoulder once Angie was back on her own two feet.

"Just some Chicken Alfredo," She tilted her face to kiss the side of his chin. "It's just about done."

Eric cleared his throat to get Jason's attention after the pair greeted each other. "Sookie and I have something to share with you. I will go wake her," he said before leaving the room.

When the vampire arrived in the bedroom where Sookie was resting, he raised her with a sweet kiss to her forehead. The young woman mumbled in her sleep, and Eric chuckled before raining kisses all over her face until she awoke, giggling.

"Hey, is my brother here?" she asked with a wide stretch.

"Yes, and Lukas is sleeping in the crib you assembled. He took a bottle shortly before Jason arrived, and promptly passed out," he informed.

"Oh," Sookie frowned, having wanted to let Jason interact with the boy, "well, I guess he'll just have to be quiet when he meets him."

Eric nodded and rose from the bed, extending a hand to Sookie while she clambered up as well. The couple went to the kitchen where Angie was putting the finishing touches on their dinner.

"Hey, Sis," Jason came over to hug his sister. "Eric said you have something to tell me."

"We do," Sookie nodded. "Last night we were given a very beautiful opportunity, and we took it," she beamed, making Jason tilt his head curiously. "A supernatural child was orphaned, and we were given the chance to raise him. His name is Lukas, and he's a fairy hybrid like us." Jason's eyes widened in surprise.

"Did Claudine give him to you?" he asked excitedly.

"Well-"

"Yes. She did," Eric nodded. "That has to be kept secret; however, his parentage must never be revealed."

"Oh, cool. So, you're a mommy now!" Jason hugged her tightly. "Congratulations, Sookie!" He squeezed her a little harder. "When do I meet the little guy?" he asked with no wane in his exuberance.

"He's sleeping right now, but if you're really quiet, you could go and take a peek at him," she said. "We'll all get together, and you can play with him during the day soon, though. Maybe you, me, and Angie could all go out some time with him," she suggested.

"That's awesome!" Jason was practically jumping out of his skin with anticipation, "I'll be super quiet. Where is he?"

Sookie lead her brother out of the kitchen, down the hall, to the spare bedroom. She opened the door quietly. The soft glow of a nightlight scarcely illuminated the baby boy, but Jason looked and grinned at the baby. "I can't believe it! This is amazing! I'm an _uncle_!" he said in a hurried whisper.

They left the room after that and reconvened in the kitchen to eat dinner. Jason spent the night bubbling over his new duties as an uncle, and Angie just shook her head at her boyfriend's antics. Jason loved kids, and spoke enthusiastically about having at least four of them. Angie felt similarly, but looking at Sookie, she became apprehensive.

After all, Jason was part-fairy, and Angie was a witch. What if they had a baby like Sookie, and it meant their baby would either have a very short life, or would need to Bond with a vampire to keep them alive? Angie shuddered at the thought. She was well aware that there were not many vampires like Eric, and that Sookie had been extremely lucky to find one who loved her and to Bond with her.

Sookie frowned at Angie throughout dinner, having heard several of her thoughts about babies. When the telepath had introduced Angie to her brother, the last thing she had thought about was the two of them having children, and what that might possibly mean.

After Jason left, and Angie was packing up to go, Sookie took her friend's hand and said, "Angie, there's a Supe doctor I know, and I think you should talk with her."

"Huh?" Angie was surprised at Sookie's suggestion. Eric glanced at the women, then quickly left, feeling as if this was not a moment to intrude upon.

"I'm sorry, but I heard some of what you were thinking at dinner. Your worries aren't unwarranted, and this doctor might be a good idea for what you two should do."

Angie removed her hand from Sookie's, and she could see her friend trying to calm herself, "Sookie, I appreciate your concern, but Jason hasn't even asked me to marry him. I want to do the marriage thing, then the baby thing," she explained.

"I'm sorry," Sookie expressed regretfully. "I'm really sorry for listening to your thoughts like that. It was rude, and-"

Angie shook her head. "It's okay. I know you catch stray thoughts when you're relaxed, and hearing me thinking that stuff probably made it difficult for you to tune me out. I know you're worried for me and your brother," She smiled comfortingly.

"I have better discipline than that though," Sookie admitted. "I should have blocked you the second I-"

"Sookie!" Angie laughed, "If you can't let your guard down in your own home, then when will you?"

Sookie laughed as well, nodding, "Okay, well, if you _do_ ever need to talk to the doc, you let me know, okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you later!" Angie hugged her friend before calling, "Bye, Eric!" just loud enough for him to hear, but not too loud to awaken the sleeping child.

"Good night," Eric's voice was barely audible as he tried to keep his volume down as well.

Sookie saw her friend to the door before going to find her Bonded. He was in the den across from the foyer, and she came to find him reading on one of the comfortable sofas in the corner.

"That was really nice tonight. It's funny that Jason ended up giving us the perfect explanation for how we came about having Lukas," Sookie curled up against Eric's side while she spoke with him.

"Yes, I am glad that Jason came by before we started announcing our responsibilities to Lukas," Eric closed the book he had been perusing. "Your role as Gatekeeper would put you in prime position for taking in a hybrid at the Queen's command."

"Have you told Godric about Lukas yet?" Sookie asked.

"I called him while you were out with Angie this afternoon," he replied.

"What does he think?" she asked.

"Much what I thought. That this will be good for you, and that it is a wonderful opportunity for all of us. Godric is enthusiastic about meeting Lukas and he requested we visit New Orleans when we have time."

"Oh, I wonder if I could teleport with a baby? I should call Ludwig," Sookie realized. "I've been meaning to call her all day, and I just kept getting distracted!"

"I think it could wait a while longer," Eric purred, leaning into her.

"What? Eric!" she giggled as his hand came up to one of her breasts, squeezing it as a request. "Really? You can't wait for a couple more hours? I managed to work a nap in, I'm not sleeping for at least another few days!"

Eric shook his head, "No, I cannot wait. Watching my woman with a baby has been doing all sorts of interesting things to my body. Could you be angry at a man who is aroused by his maternal wife?"

Sookie giggled once more while she turned smoothly onto the couch, trapping Eric between her legs as he came to loom over her. His mouth found hers, kissing her slowly, deeply, as he pressed his body against her smaller one. Her arms and legs twisted around his frame, holding Eric close while their lips and tongues caressed one another's.

"Eric," she sighed after she felt a familiar hardness rubbing against her intimate area. Her hips undulated firmly to increase the pressure between their sexes, but she did not do anything more than that. After hearing him speak about how turned on seeing her as Lukas's mother had made him, Sookie wanted to discover how long he could keep his restraint.

It was not long at all.

Before Sookie could get a rhythm between their hips started, Eric was pulling her clothes off in a flurry. She laughed and wriggled while he yanked and tugged each article away as if they offended him on a personal level. Soon, she lay naked on the couch, her tan skin contrasting nicely with the crimson of the upholstery.

Eric wasted no time tearing away his own clothing, but before returning to her on the sofa, he moved her to sit on the cushion's very edge, tucking his shirt under her bottom.

"What are you doing?" she laughed once he had seated her on his shirt.

"I am about to make you cum over and over again, and you, my beautiful Bonded, make quite a mess when I do so."

Sookie raised her eyebrows, " _I_ make the mess? Maybe you shouldn't be such a messy eater!"

Eric's reply was to drape her knees over his shoulders and cover the entirety of her sex with his mouth. The telepath bucked and wiggled against his enthusiastic mouth, whining with pleasure as his tongue began plunging into her eager hole.

"Ah!" she keened sharply when his blunt teeth scraped against her clit briefly, causing a little pain that he quickly soothed away. "Eric, oh, not fair! Eric!" she cried, reaching between her legs to hold his head more firmly to her core. "OH! Please, suck on it!" She tried dragging his lips to her swollen, begging clit.

The vampire growled hungrily at her pleas, but then chose to ignore her demand, opting to torment her awhile longer. When frustrated tears began to build in her eyes, Eric finally complied with her need, and attacked her throbbing bundle of nerves. A single tap of his tongue against the pink pearl made Sookie's back arc impressively, and she covered her mouth with her hand while she screamed into it. Eric frowned only momentarily when she did this before remembering they had a sleeping baby in the house. Already Eric wanted to plan an evening for Lukas to spend with his Uncle Jas and Aunt Ang, so that he would not need to be deprived of hearing his Bonded's beautiful, pleasured cries.

By the time Eric had brought her to orgasm for the third time, Sookie was holding a decorative pillow to her chest, and crying into it. She was a gasping, sobbing ball of pleasure, and Eric determined it was his turn to experience the same joy of release.

Standing up sharply, Eric curled Sookie's spine, so that she was balanced on her shoulder blades for support. One of his legs stepped between hers to settle his foot on the couch while he scissored her trembling thighs and thrust his cock down into her clenching channel in one, swift drive.

Sookie clutched at the back of the couch as she went frantic beneath him. He was jackknifing into her pussy at such a speed, she was near a state of delirium. Her body was shaking all over, her womanhood throbbing as though she were experiencing a single, ceaseless climax. While one of Eric's strong hands held her by an ankle, keeping her bottom half lifted high in the air, his other hand was rubbing her clit with such vigorous attention that her thighs were shaking uncontrollably. Her hips were twitching to and fro in sharp spasms, evidence of her orgasm's intensity.

"Eric, Eric, Eric-"

Her hips shuddered with a sharp jerk, and Eric froze when he heard her let out a cry that he knew all too well as pain. Her features froze along with her whole body as she jolted from extreme pleasure to defensive stillness.

"Shh, shh," Eric soothed, withdrawing his cock from her as gently as he could. Noting the amount of blood on his member, Eric quickly went to work, repairing the damage. He lowered her hips just as carefully before tearing open his wrist and offering the wound to her. As she nursed the injury, Eric sliced open a finger on his unoccupied hand, and carefully slid it inside of her injured orifice.

"Sorry," she mumbled against his wound when it began to close.

Eric chuckled to himself while he withdrew his finger and pressed tentatively upon her lower abdomen. She showed no signs of discomfort, thankfully. "I consider it a compliment when I work you into such a frenzy you injure yourself."

"That hasn't happened in awhile," she realized.

"No, but I have never fucked you like that before," he pointed out.

"That's surprising," she laughed. "I thought we'd done it every way known to man!"

"Oh, no, my Bonded. I have not even begun to show you anything yet. We have an eternity together; did you really think I would give out all of the surprises in a mere six years?" He wore an expression as though he was greatly insulted by her presumption.

Sookie pressed on her lower abdomen firmly, "I think I'm all healed up." She tried to pull him atop her once more, but Eric resisted, "What?"

"Give it some more time," he encouraged.

"Hmm," she looked at him contemplatively.

"Hmm?" Eric repeated amusedly after Sookie took his wrist, pulling him onto the couch. Eric smiled as she sat him down, and then crawled between his knees. "My Sookie," he purred when she took his length into her hand and began stroking him. His fingers wove into her golden hair, twirling several locks between his digits as her mouth enveloped his shaft. "Look up at me," he told her, reveling in her big, blue eyes. They stared at him adoringly as her cheeks hollowed and lips dragged against the thick column of his flesh. "Good girl."

As her mouth continued pleasuring him, her hands ran up and down the inside of his thighs, alternating between the gentleness of her fingertips, and the toe-curling scrape of her nails. "Oh, yes, Lover," Eric growled when her nails dug into the firm muscle of his thigh. The hand in her hair pressed firmly against the back of her head, shoving his length deeper down her throat. He could feel the tube of her trachea fluttering against his head, and only pulled back when her nails dug a touch deeper into his leg. Sookie panted for air a moment before allowing him to perform the action again, and again.

Sookie pulled back to the head of his cock, suckling greedily while her hand began to pump the exposed base. Her eyes remained trained on his. She knew how much he liked when she maintained eye contact, but she enjoyed it more when he told her to do so on occasion. The praise that followed when she obeyed his instructions always made her heart race.

Before Sookie could pleasure him to completion, Eric tugged at her hair, pulling her mouth from his cock. "Come up here and fuck me, Lover," he requested, and Sookie crawled into his lap, turning her back to him. "Backward?" He was surprised. Normally Sookie liked to watch his face when she rode him.

"Then I can do this," She brought her legs together between his, and pushed her gash against his cock. The closed stance tightened her pussy around him, and Eric grunted approvingly, "That feels perfect, My Sookie." Eric took an ass cheek in each of his hands as she rocked back and forth against him. The vampire did not propel her movements at all, but kept her from pushing too far back and re-injuring herself. At one point, her knees began to bend slightly, and her hips swiveled in a figure-eight pattern.

Losing his control, Eric's fingertips dug into Sookie's backside while he thrust his hips upward and held her steady as his cock pumped its spending's deep inside of her.

Pulling the woman back against his chest, Eric nibbled on her shoulder as he drew her legs up and onto either side of his own. One of his hands began palming a breast while the other went between her thighs just above where they were joined. "I need to feel you come around my cock, Sookie," he mumbled against her back, kissing from her shoulder to her throat. His fingers were working her over slowly at first, but then they quickly began to pick up speed.

Sookie twisted in his lap, her body twitching after coming so near to completion before his orgasm had hit. As his hand continued pleasuring her, Sookie clutched at his arms, feeling her body coiling with another release. Finally, for the last time this round, Sookie came undone with a loud cry she forgot to smother.

Her body was shaking in his lap when they both heard the distinct wail of a fussy baby. Sookie, gasping for breath, rose off of Eric to try and find her clothes. Her wobbly legs made Eric laugh, and he patted Sookie's rear once he stood and grabbed his pants, "Collect yourself, Lover. I will check on Lukas."

"Wash your hands first!" she called after him, sprawling boneless onto the floor.

Her reasonable command was acknowledged by a booming laugh.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Remember to review, everyone!**

 **-Andi**


	3. Chapter 3

Making Heroes

 _A/N: As always, thanks to **Msbuffy** for the hard work on editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Three: Doctor's Visit**

"Sookie, your son wants you," Eric called from down the hall. "You might want to dress."

Sookie grunted from where she was still lying on the floor, properly fucked, and physically exhausted. "What did you do to me?" she groaned, reaching for her dress that was crumbled a few inches away from where her legs had given out.

"I loved you into a heap of flesh and bone," Eric called back, having heard her.

Sookie grabbed the garment, slipped it over her head, and rolled half-heartedly on the floor to make it cover the rest of her body. She had just shimmied into the dress when Eric came through the archway, holding Lukas in his arm, and lobbing a bottle of hand sanitizer her way.

Lukas cooed when he saw Sookie, and she propped herself against the bottom of the couch while she quickly cleaned her hands and held open her arms for him. The baby nuzzled into her neck affectionately, and his little arms tried their best to hold onto her.

"Hi, sleepyhead. You're up again!" Sookie said in surprise.

"We do not know what sort of sleep schedule, if any, Hadley had him on," Eric pointed out.

"Ah, good point," Sookie grimaced. "Well, I suppose if he's up, now's as good a time as any to call Ludwig."

Eric nodded in agreement, grabbing his cell phone from his pocket, and dialing the doctor.

" _Vampire,_ " Ludwig greeted in her usual manner.

"Doctor, we have a rather unforeseen set of circumstances. Would you be able to come to our home at your soonest availability?" Eric asked cordially.

There was a brief pause before the doctor replied, _"I can be by in fifteen minutes. Is there any urgency or chance it will be long? I have to meet with you between appointments unless you can wait until Thursday."_

"I doubt it will take too long, and fifteen minutes is just fine," Eric assured the doctor.

" _I will see you then."_

Sookie watched while Eric snapped his phone shut and re-pocketed it. He looked down to her and smiled warmly, "She will be here in fifteen minutes."

"So I heard," Sookie laughed.

Eric folded his legs to sit across from Sookie on the floor. His arms rested loosely on his knees, and he contemplated the gentle way her eyes closed, and the softest smile he had ever seen graced her lips while she held Lukas close to her. The Bond was singing with contentment and satiation. The first half came from the infant in her arms, and the latter came from Eric himself. It was strange for the vampire, needing to reconcile an awkward jealousy toward a baby, but Eric had always been forthcoming about his resentment toward others pleasing his Bonded. Over the years, he had acclimated himself to the presence of others, such as Jason, Angie, and Sam. Now, he would need to do the same for Lukas.

"You're in a rare mood," Sookie said quietly.

"I am currently repressing my territorial nature."

Sookie leered at him from hooded eyes, her gaze knowing, "Jealous of a baby?"

"Very...apparently," he admitted.

The telepath tilted the small boy to sit on one of her thighs, then patted the other one invitingly for Eric to rest his head on. "This is me learning to drive all over again, you know." Eric nodded before placing his head in Sookie's lap. Her fingers played with his shoulder-length hair while she patted Lukas' back with her other hand, "And the first time I protected the portal to Elfyria."

"I know," he sighed.

Sookie chuckled, "I never thought I would see the day when my Eric was afraid of _me_ leaving _him_!"

"You were so helpless when I found you," Eric whispered, "like a snared rabbit, or a bird with a broken wing. As much pride as I had in watching you heal, mature, and learn, you always looked to me for everything. I did not realize how much I came to depend on that." Eric snorted at his realization, as if he were simultaneously amused and annoyed with himself, "Look what you have done to the mighty Viking, Sookie. You have him completely at your mercy."

Sookie stroked his scalp lovingly, "You know it goes both ways. I might not need to look to you for everything anymore, but I still preen whenever you praise me. I think I'll always look for your approval in everything I do. I'm at your mercy, too. You could break me with a single look of disappointment."

 ***POP** *

Eric chuckled when he heard the crystal in the room tremble with Sookie's power. Sookie had not made anything inadvertently blow up in quite some time, as far as Eric knew, and it amused him that the doctor's sudden appearance had almost caused her to lose control.

"And who might this little one be?" Ludwig asked, looking pointedly at Lukas.

"You will be the only one to know the truth aside from our Bloodline," Eric began. "He is the son of Sookie's cousin, Hadley."

"So he is a fairy hybrid, then," Ludwig nodded.

"He is also a telepath, according to Sookie," Eric continued.

"Ah, let me see him," Ludwig held out her hands, and Sookie reluctantly handed over Lukas. The baby boy whined after he was taken from Sookie, and Sookie rose from the floor to croon at him soothingly.

"It's okay, Lukas. Mamma's not lettin' you go," She played with his little hands and feet while Ludwig looked the boy over.

"Well, he is not a fairy/witch hybrid..." Ludwig began slowly. "His presence is not similar enough to yours. If I am correct," she frowned, making Sookie's heart flutter anxiously, "he is a fairy crossed with an Unrealized."

Eric's jaw clenched, and Sookie began to panic at her Bonded's troubled emotion. "What does that mean?" Sookie asked desperately.

Ludwig patted the young woman's hand, "It means that he is a very special child, and could grow to fulfill a very important duty when he is much older."

"D-doesn't he have a choice?" Sookie demanded, taking Lukas from the doctor, and bouncing him with her nervous energy. Her hand was running from the base of his skull to the middle of his back repeatedly as she kissed the side of his head.

"Of course he gets a choice, Little Gi-..." Ludwig cut herself off, and looked at Sookie a moment before smiling. "Of course he does, Young Lady." Eric's eyebrows rose at Ludwig's new name for Sookie. "I should examine you while I am here. Give your Bonded the child." Sookie handed Lukas off to Eric, and turned to face Ludwig, "Have you been getting headaches lately?" she asked, looking into Sookie's eyes.

"Um, yeah, every so often."

"She has taken my blood for a few of them," Eric told the doctor.

"Gums tender?" Ludwig asked.

"A little," Sookie was becoming concerned.

"Congratulations, Young Lady. Your wisdom teeth are coming in!" Ludwig cackled.

"This is a good thing?" Sookie asked.

"It means that your body matured quite a bit more since I first met you. It is finally hitting its late teens or early twenties once your wisdom teeth erupt. Open your mouth." Sookie slung her jaw open while Ludwig put on a pair of gloves and took a penlight out of her pocket. "Oh, yes, they are starting to sprout. Close your mouth." Sookie snapped her jaw shut, and Ludwig began feeling around at the hinge of her mouth. "Hmm, they'll need to come out," she said knowingly. "We'll schedule a time to do that."

"Isn't that a surgery?" Sookie whimpered.

"You'll be fine. I'll numb you up, rip them out, you drink from your Bonded, and you'll be as good as new," Ludwig shrugged as if this should not be an issue.

"Okay," Sookie pouted at the thought of her teeth being ripped out.

"As for your little one, I will be by on Thursday to give him a proper exam. He is in decent health right now. He could use a little more weight, though. I'll yank out your teeth on Thursday, too, Young Lady," She pointed to Sookie sternly. "That way I know you won't dodge me, since you'll have that baby on your hip for his exam."

Sookie scowled at having been figured out as well as manipulated, but nodded in agreement without any more fuss.

"You three have a good evening. I will see you on Thursday," Ludwig made her final goodbye, and vanished in her usual manner.

Letting out a small sigh, Sookie looked at the baby in Eric's arms. Lukas was nuzzling into her vampire's chest, and she could feel his brain slowing down while he succumbed to sleep once more.

"I'm going to put him back to bed," Sookie said as she reached for the boy. Eric handed him off easily before leaning against the frame of the couch. "I'll be right back," she called, already in the hallway.

Eric leaned his head back against the body of the couch and closed his eyes. He listened while Sookie crooned to Lukas. He felt her heart fluttering in her chest when, he assumed, the baby made some loving or dependent gesture toward her.

Sookie returned, rubbing her eyes free from the beginnings of fresh tears, "I can't believe how much he makes me want to cry!" she laughed at herself. "I thought that was a pregnant woman thing!"

Smiling at her antics, Eric opened his arms for Sookie to fall into, "Many women get emotional over infants, not just the ones who have given birth. As I have said, your connection to him is one made very strong by your likenesses. Empathy plays a very strong role in what causes you to be so emotional toward him."

"I guess." Sookie hugged him tighter as she said, "Although I feel sort of… I don't know a word for it," she admitted. "I think I'm afraid I only care about Lukas because of what he represents, not for whom he truly is."

Nodding in understanding, Eric spoke softly, "He is still so very young, and his personality is new to both of us. Currently, I only have the patience for him that I do because of what he means to you. Eventually that will change, I suppose, and I will care for him in his own right. I can only assume the same will happen for you. There will come a point when your concern for him will no longer revolve around his gift or horrible parentage. You will begin to long for his laughter and smile. You will cry because he skinned his knee, or fell off of his bicycle." Eric's hand was smoothing her hair while he contemplated their future. "In time, I am certain we will become a family for him."

Sookie thought about all of this while Eric continued running his cool hand through her hair.

" _Sookie,"_ the girl flinched at Pam's voice suddenly in her head, _"can you tell Eric my long-term commitment has come to a head?"_

" _Don't you own a friggin' cell phone, Pam?"_ Sookie grumbled right back.

" _I do, but this is so much more convenient than going to my purse."_

Sookie swore under her breath before telling her Bonded, "Pam says some 'long-term commitment' has come to a head."

The woman did not miss the way her Bonded's shoulders tightened, and she felt anticipation blooming inside him. "What sort of commitment was it?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

Smiling at her, Eric rose from the couch and kissed Sookie's head, "I do not wish to tell you."

"Any particular reason why?" Sookie asked, eyebrows now raised. When all he could offer was a shrug, Sookie shook her head, "Whatever. When will you be back?"

"It depends on some circumstances," Eric grimaced. "More than likely, it will only be two or three hours. However, I might be detained until after sunrise."

"Well, since it's probably Sheriff stuff, I'm gonna assume it's really not any of my business," Sookie shrugged, but paused when she felt Guilt tug at her heart. "… Until you went and started feelin' guilty, that is."

"I have to go, Sookie," Eric kissed her one last time before leaving.

Sookie wandered around the house, looking for something quiet to occupy her time. Normally, she would have called her brother or Angie under such circumstances, but given that she had just seen them, she opted to crack open a book and read.

Just as she was getting into the adrenaline-fueled experiences of Robert Langdon hunting for a bomb in the Vatican, she felt Eric's end of the Bond explode. Shock, Anger, Fury, Disbelief…

The terror went on and on, and Sookie found herself clutching her heart while she screamed through the Bond, _"Eric, what's wrong?! What happened!? Are you-"_

" _I am not physically injured. That is all I can say."_

Despite trying to get more answers from him telepathically, her Bonded had shut her out of his head, or was doing a marvelous job of ignoring her. Instead of wasting her time trying to chip away at his resolve, she next went to his Child.

" _Pam, what happened to Eric-"_

" _He is not under attack. That is all I can tell you."_

Sookie growled in frustration before going to her Bonded's Maker, _"Godric-"_

" _I have already spoken to Pam, Sookie. I cannot tell y-"_

" _STOP IT! I HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY BONDED!"_

" _You do, but he will tell you when he is able. Right now... The matter does concern you, and it is extremely delicate. Please, remain calm."_

" _Remain calm when I am able to feel Eric, and he seems as if he's about to start murderin' people?!"_

" _It will be all right, Little Sookie. Relax. He will level out shortly, but, right now, he has a job to do,"_ Godric's voice in her head sounded both concerned and sympathetic. The last time she had heard that tone from her Bonded's Maker, it had been while she was coming to terms with having accidentally killed her grandfather, Fintan, who had only tried to protect her.

" _It can't be fairies. Claudine would have warned me!"_

" _It is not the Fae."_

" _Then who? No one else would come after me!"_

" _Sookie,"_ Godric tried again, _"please, just be patient. Eric will handle things, and all will be well once more."_

" _I'll try, but someone better give me some answers soon!"_

Sookie ended the telepathic conversation there, and flopped onto the couch. Every so often her heart clenched as though it were about to shred into a thousand pieces. She felt as if a knife was being twisted over and over again into her chest. Eric was so furious and dismayed that Sookie could not help but fear that someone had found a way around their Bond, and had made a play for her, trying to take her from him.

It took all of her strength not to drive to wherever he had gone. It took all of her willpower not to use their connection through the Bloodletting Blade, to be by his side instantaneously.

"Eric," she whimpered, clutching the upholstery of the couch as another painful throb tore through her heart. "Eric, please, let me in?"

{†}

"You found him?" Eric was practically skipping into Fangtasia.

Pam nodded, "Yes, it only took me _five_ _years_ of scanning DMV photos to do it." Her expression clearly stated that her sacrifice warranted certain compensation.

"What is his name?"

Holding up a printout of a driver's license, Pam told him, "Carter Wright, age 42, resides in fucking Avon, Mississippi, which is why it took me half a decade to hunt him down. I had to sift through all of the Louisiana licenses before moving on to Mississippi."

"All?" Eric frowned at her melodramatic claims. "You were only looking at the pictures of men, thirty to fifty-years-old, blond hair, brown eyes, over five-foot-nine."

"That was still a fuck ton of pictures!" Pam complained.

"I am sure," Eric agreed patiently. "Now, I have business to which I must attend."

"Enjoy!" Pam called after him as Eric tore out of the back entrance of his club and into the sky.

Eric flew as fast as he could to Avon, Mississippi, grateful that, over the years, he and Sookie could sustain a much larger distance from each other without suffering from Separation Sickness. He had anticipated this evening for a very long time, ever since the evening he had driven home from the police station and His Sookie had told him of the man who tried to purchase her from her guardian, Bartlett Hale.

Unfortunately, information about the prospective buyer was minimal. He and his Bloodline only had the man's image in their heads from an inadvertently shared thought of Sookie's, but Eric had run with the information. After giving the search criteria, every DMV photo that fit the description was acquired, illegally, for Pam to sift through in her spare time during the day. Of course, his Child had huffed and complained, but Eric knew how much Pam desired the end of the monster who had bargained for ownership of Sookie.

Later in the night, Eric landed in the front yard of Carter Wright. When he knocked on the door, he could hear a TV muted within the dwelling. Soon, the door swung open, and Carter Wright stood before Eric, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, shit," Carter seemed to laugh to himself. "Eric Northman really did give a shit 'bout findin' me."

Eric frowned, "I did not know you prior to today."

"But I bet y'all heard a lot 'bout me," Carter replied, almost proudly.

"Too much to allow you to live," Eric assured with a snarl. "How do you know this?"

"Come on in, Northman," Carter laughed, shaking his head.

The vampire was surprised, to say the least, at being openly invited inside when Wright knew exactly what Eric's intentions were. Remaining on alert, Eric followed Carter into his living room.

There was a newspaper article taped on the wall. Eric recognized it as the article about Fangtasia's Grand Opening, and it featured a picture of himself, Sookie, Pam, and Longshadow standing in front of the club.

"I recognized that girl pretty fast," Carter explained. "When I knew she'd took up with a vamp, I figured my days was numbered. Tell me, she still a perfect doll?"

"Excuse me?" Eric whirled around from looking at the newspaper pinned to the wall.

"She still drift out?" Carter twirled his hand. "She did that a lot when Hale used on her. It's what made me want her," he explained dreamily. "That vacant, doll stare she got. Like she could just release her mind and take anythin' Hale dished out… Fuck, I wanted to break that stare! But she got away 'fore I could take her on."

"She never told me you witnessed her abuse," Eric frowned.

Carter snorted, "How you think Hale found buyers?"

"Excuse me?" Eric snarled.

"Product marketing!" Carter was laughing with so much inhuman pleasure, Eric wanted to break his jaw. Instead, he watched as the sadist walked to his VCR and popped in a new tape.

There was a split second of static before the image of a young girl, suspended from a ceiling, came onto the screen. Eric's jaw clenched at being shown such a video. The child could not have been much older than fourteen. Her blonde hair covered her face, and her rear was the main focus of the camera.

Eric reached to turn off the video when, suddenly, a switch struck the bottom of the girl's foot and a terribly familiar voice cried out in pain, a single, plaintive note of agony, but one Eric had heard before. His eyes snapped back to the screen, and he stared at the girl with incredulity and an all-consuming need to be wrong. _No, no. Do not let it be-_

" **No more climbing trees for you, right, Sook?"** Another terribly familiar voice, a voice he had made certain would never be heard on this Earth again.

 _No, no, no…_ Eric shook his head while red tears coursed down his face. His cellphone was ringing. Sookie's voice screamed in his head. _"I am not physically injured. That is all I can say,"_ Eric tried to placate his Bonded.

"Now this? This is exactly why I didn't hide when I found out about you and Hale's little doll," Carter whispered in satisfaction. "It just feels too fuckin' good to make a _vamp_ cry in pain. Worth anythin' you might do ta me!"

Eric turned his blood-streaked face upon Carter Wright, taking one step closer. Carter's satisfaction wavered from his expression when Eric took another, slower, step toward him. "Are there more tapes? How many buyers did Hale have?" The tape was still playing in the background, escalating Eric's rage with every sound of the switch against her skin, and every suffering, agonizing noise Sookie made in response.

"I look like his bookkeeper?" Carter demanded.

"Tell me and I will kill you much quicker than I plan to right now," Eric snarled.

When Carter stared at him in delighted defiance, Eric quickly glamoured him for the truth. Hale had been very discrete in his sale of Sookie. This had been the only tape, created as a lure for Wright. Apparently Carter Wright's predilections were very well known in the area's community of monsters, and Hale had made a direct offer.

"You made me work for it. That means you will not die any sooner than I am satisfied," Eric growled after he struck the man over the head, knocking him unconscious. The vampire extracted a pair of gloves from his pocket and put them on before taking the tape from the VHS player.

With the tape and Wright, Eric left, locking the doors behind him. He threw Wright into his own car and drove off into the slowly ascending dawn.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Remember to review, everyone!**

 **-Andi**


	4. Chapter 4

Making Heroes

 _A/N: As always, thanks to **Msbuffy** for the hard work on editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Four:**

Sookie played with Lukas on the carpet of the large den. The boy seemed to understand that his new mother was distracted, but he happily laughed at the playful tickles she ran up his sides. Lukas reached and cooed for the stuffed puppy she dangled above his head. Life had never been so much fun for the little one!

When the large figure of his new mommy's vampire appeared in the doorway of the den, Lukas crowed happily and reached for him. His daddy was home, and Lukas wanted to be wrapped up in cool, silent arms.

"What happened?" Sookie asked, still playing with Lukas, and not looking up at her Bonded.

"I killed a man by the name of Carter Wright this morning. Then I went to New Orleans to speak with Godric," Eric revealed to her after he came to sit on the sofa near where Sookie was entertaining their son.

"Who's Carter Wright?" Sookie asked, still not looking at him.

Eric paused a moment, then in a voice heavy with emotion, said, "The man who intended to purchase you from Hale."

Setting down the stuffed animal, Sookie sat up, and finally turned to Eric, "You found him? How?"

"The image you gave me," Eric pointed to his head. "I had the DMV hacked and obtained the licenses of men fitting his description. Pam has spent the last few years sifting through them, looking for Wright."

"She found him last night. That was the long-term commitment," Sookie realized sadly.

"Yes," Eric nodded. "I went to his home. He was actually expecting me."

"Were you hurt?" Sookie asked.

Shaking his head, Eric reassured her, "Not physically, but he did have a tape of you. Sookie, why did you never tell me that Hale videotaped you?"

Frowning, Sookie picked up the stuffed animal again and began plucking at its fur, "I thought everything was destroyed in the explosion you coordinated. I didn't know Hale gave anyone a tape of me."

Eric nodded in understanding, "I brought the tape to Godric. The short amount Wright made me watch was enough to make my soul burn. Godric watched it for me and gave me the details. He was quite shaken up by it."

"Why did you two have to watch it at all?" Sookie asked forlornly. "Eric, it's my past! I want to leave it there."

"I have always tried to avoid doing things to you that could remind you of your past," Eric told her. "Godric assures me that will never happen."

"I've told you it wouldn't!" Sookie snapped furiously.

"Sookie, it took over a year for you to be able to masturbate," Eric reminded her.

"I know, I know," she whispered, her anger slowly dissolving. "What was on the tape?"

"Godric is coming up to talk to you about it," Eric whispered. "He is meeting us at Fangtasia tonight with the tape. He does not wish you to see it, but understands if you must."

"I don't think I care to," Sookie replied woefully. "Why do you want me to talk to Godric?"

Eric shrugged, "You know of his past and the abuses he suffered, not in detail, but you know of them. Godric wanted you to have an opportunity to speak candidly about your past, and believed he would be easier to talk to than me."

Sookie gave him a soft smile, "I can talk to you about anything, Eric."

"Does it still hurt?" he asked desperately.

Her smile grew sad, but still remained, "Yes, sometimes it does still hurt. When it sneaks up on me like right now? It hurts."

"I am sorry to have been the one who threw it at you," Eric apologized.

"It's all right, Darlin'," she assured. "Sometimes I forget that you _have_ to know everything. You hate mysteries." After a moment of silence, Sookie let out a long sigh, then laughed. "Is it over now? May we go back to our lives?"

Eric smiled down at her, "Yes. Let us close the final chapter of your past and look forward to the new story we are writing, Sookie Northman, the Mother."

Sookie laughed, rose on to her knees, and crawled over to the sofa. She reached her lips upward and let her Bonded kiss her slowly, comfortingly. When Lukas crawled over to them, Sookie laughed and scooped him up. "Come on, Kiddo! Let's go pick out a book for Daddy to read to us. You'll love it. Daddy has the best reading voice ever!"

Smiling to himself while Sookie went to pick out a book, Eric reclined against the sofa, and waited for her return. When she did, handing him a copy of Dr. Seuss, he laughed and rolled his eyes. Sookie settled between his legs, with Lukas in her lap, and Eric had to reach his long arms around both of them to hold the book in Lukas' sight.

"'Green Eggs and Ham'…" Eric began.

{†}

Fangtasia was packed when Sookie arrived with her Bonded and child. The three went in the service door to the office, settling Lukas in with his toys. Sookie sat on the sofa, reviewing the club's books while keeping an eye on the baby boy.

"I must go out onto the floor," Eric announced, kissing Sookie's head.

"'Kay," Sookie tilted her head back and grabbed his neck to receive a proper kiss. "I have to be at the Gate at eleven for this month's updates from Claudine," she reminded him. "Sit with him while I'm gone?"

"Pam or I will sit with him," Eric promised.

"Thank you," She beamed upward, watching while Eric left his office. "These books are a mess! No wonder Pam shirked this on me," she muttered to herself. She felt restless, and there was a bloom of discontent or conflict building inside her. Though the conversation about Carter Wright had torn at one of her emotional scars, part of her was more frustrated about the anger it brought. Unresolved anger had always been her biggest foe.

As eleven o'clock approached, she called out mentally, _"Eric or Pam, I am leaving."_

Pam appeared in the office, and Sookie gave Lukas a big kiss before she left to perform her duties as Gatekeeper.

As Sookie walked out of the club's back entrance and teleported to the Gate, the mists were already swirling, announcing that a new arrival was imminent.

"Papers!" Sookie barked once the swirling mists of Elfyria opened and a tall figure appeared. Before she could think, her arm was raised, and deflecting a sword, hacking toward her shoulder. "Oh, you have perfect timing!" she reveled as she pushed back against the attack and sent her assailant stumbling backward.

Rather than blowing the fairy to pieces, Sookie allowed the sparring to continue, working out some of her anger within the violence. She parried and sidestepped, her grin widening while her eyes narrowed with the adrenaline rush of a good fight. Her leg kicked out to catch her opponent in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.

"C'mon! Don't make this so easy!" Sookie laughed excitedly, and the fairy snarled when he jumped back to his feet and attacked with increased ferocity.

"That's it!" Sookie rejoiced while her arms had to move much faster to keep up.

A flurry of platinum hair hid the transverse swing that the Gatekeeper only had a split second to evade. Arching away from the blade's point, she felt the sharp metal graze her belly, and, instinctively, she blew the fairy's hand off with her telekinesis.

"ARGH!" the attacker cried, clutching at his handless arm while Sookie felt her abdomen in apprehension. With an anxious breath, she felt her flesh tear further, so she quickly blew apart the rest of the man.

"Shit. Shit!" Sookie gasped in a panic. The wound was slowly splitting wider with her panicked breaths and she could feel a sharp burn searing the edges of her injury. Lifting her shirt above her stomach, Sookie looked at the injury and found it was actually quite shallow and normal looking. "Oh!" she let out a relieved sob.

Before she could teleport away, the sword in her hand vibrated, and another figure approached from the mists of Elfyria.

"PAPERS!" Sookie shouted, preparing to blow apart the next blitz instantly, rather than risk another injury.

"It is Colman!" a voice rang, though his appearance was still undecipherable. Sookie kept herself braced for an attack regardless. When the familiar fairy finally became visible, Sookie stabbed her sword into the ground and used it to kneel down slowly. "What happened?!" he knelt beside her.

"I-I just need to calm down!" Sookie spat, shrugging away from his inspecting hands. "It's only a scratch. I just got a bit of an adrenaline rush when the Gate opened again."

Colman finally peeled the clothing from Sookie's injury and recoiled, "Lemon!"

"I'm immune to lemon," Sookie reminded him and Colman relaxed.

"That's right, I forget," he laughed uncomfortably, taking several steps away. "I have your updates," He extended a thick, leather binder toward her, and Sookie accepted it after she rose back to her feet. "Will you be all right?"

Sookie shrugged, "Yeah, I'm fine. It just stings like a bitch. Eric will patch me up when I get back to the club." She blotted at the wound with the tail of her shirt, grimacing as it flowed freely. Eric was going to be pissed! He had just told her the other night that the Gate would become harder and harder to protect. _'Then I had to go and let off steam instead of just do my freakin' job,'_ she admonished herself.

Colman nodded slowly and looked back to the portal from which he had just passed. "You're doing a very fine job in this realm, Sookie," he offered.

The Gatekeeper raised her eyebrows at the comment, "Are you gonna fire me, or give me a raise?" She laughed.

"It's in the report," Colman mumbled.

Frowning, Sookie looked at the leather binder and nodded, "I'll see you later, Colman?"

"Yes," He nodded and turned back to Elfyria.

Sookie stared at the documents in her hand, then opened them. Mostly it was garbage she already knew; a data dump on how many times the Gate had been accessed. With the time difference between Elfyria and the human realm, the kingdom provided her with a two-month report for them, a nearly two years' report for her.

Normally, Sookie did not care much for the records. She kept her own in an attempt to anticipate movements in and out of the gate and to prepare herself for attacks versus scheduled visits. However, there were two Gate accesses Sookie did not recall. At the very beginning of the Elfyrian month… She would need to sit and do the math to be precise, but it was nearly a year and a half ago with very loose calculations.

Sitting in the grass, Sookie tried very hard to remember the instances in which the Gate had opened in such rapid successions nearly two years ago. She had _never_ missed the Gate opening, not even during her 'power comas.' Pam had dutifully held her sword during the two power comas Sookie had undergone since becoming Gatekeeper, and the vampiress had never once said anyone had passed into the realm in those twenty-four hour periods.

The only way it could have happened was if something other than Empyrodite had opened the Gate. As far as Sookie knew, that was impossible.

Closing her book for the time being, Sookie decided she needed to talk to Pam to be absolutely certain her sword had not resonated while the Gatekeeper had been indisposed.

Teleporting as close to the club as she could, Sookie strolled into the service door and went straight to the office.

Pam was not there. Neither was Eric.

Sookie's heart lurched painfully once she realized Lukas was not on the floor playing with his toys.

"LUKAS!?" the new mother shrieked, falling to her hands and knees. She looked under Eric's desk, she crawled to the closet, and flung open the door. "Lukas? Lukas, where are you!?" she called in a panic.

"Sookie?" Eric's voice was above her. "You are bleeding!"

"Where's my baby!?" Sookie screamed at him, still scrambling around the room and leaving droplets of blood in her path. "Why weren't you with him!? Where were you!?" she yelled as her Bonded went to the couch and pushed it further from the wall. There was Lukas, sucking on his hand and giving Sookie the most heartbroken look she had ever seen. "Oh, baby! Baby, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed while she scooped him into her arms and kissed his head over and over. "You weren't supposed to be alone for a minute! Are you okay?" She looked the baby over frantically, only finding that he was in need of a diaper change.

"Sookie," Eric whispered. "You are _bleeding_."

She ignored him, and Eric could feel her anger growing inside of her. He closed the door behind him and waited for her tirade.

"How could you leave him in here alone? Where was Pam? Where the fuck were you for that matter!?" Sookie demanded.

"I was on the floor. I needed Pam for only a minute-"

"Your office ain't baby-proofed, Eric," Sookie snapped. "One minute, and he coulda killed himself in here!"

"You are being overly dramatic-"

"You said we were doin' this together!" Sookie howled as she quickly changed Lukas' diaper and cleaned him up.

Next, she stripped off her shirt, took a roll of duct tape from Eric's desk, and taped off her wound.

"Let me heal it," Eric tried to offer.

"I am _pissed_ at you, Eric!" Sookie told him while she stomped to his cabinet and took out a 'Fangtasia' t-shirt. "I don't want your blood in me right now. I want to be angry at you, not fuck you!" She yanked the shirt over her head, then glared at him.

"I fucked up!" Eric flung his arms in the air. "I have not been in charge of a child in over a thousand years, Sookie! Excuse me for-"

"What if someone had come in here and taken him, Eric?" Sookie cut him off. "He's not old enough to run to you or me. We have to _be here_!"

"I understand-"

"Then why don't I feel any guilt!?" Sookie demanded. "Nothing. You don't care!"

"I _do_ -" Eric cut himself off at the glare she was giving him.

"You care that _I'm_ mad at you! You don't care that Lukas could have been hurt!" she accused. Eric lowered his gaze from hers and bowed his head. Sookie took a deep, calming breath that made her wound twinge painfully. The pain was good. It distracted the anger moderately. "Do you remember what you told me shortly after we were Bonded?" she asked in a calmer tone.

"I told you many things, Sookie," Eric reminded carefully.

"You said we were equals," Sookie told him. "You disciplined me because I risked Pam's safety, but you said if you ever fucked up, it was my right to discipline you. Well, I was a stupid, spontaneous girl then. You are a fucking thousand-year-old vampire, and "forgetting" that our son is too small to be left unattended was a _stupid_ fuck up."

Eric's shoulders loosened. He could not remember the last time he had been disciplined, but Sookie's reminder of their conversation actually sparked the desired guilt. When she felt the regret trickle into the Bond, he could feel her anger receding.

"I am angry," Sookie told him calmly. "I am angry that just the other day you were saying how you are as devoted as I am to raising this child, and then you left him by himself where he could be in danger."

"I am sorry, Sookie," he whispered contritely.

"I can't hurt you," she told him. "I am _literally_ incapable of causing you any physical reminder of how big of mistake you made."

Eric nodded silently, and he could feel her grasping at some sort of punishment.

"But I do know something that will never let you forget what you did. I want you to know that I am not going to do this as a way to get even with you for a spankin' you gave half a decade ago," Sookie told him. "I am doing this so you _never forget_ you have a son now."

"Yes, Sookie," Eric nodded. "I understand that." There was no sense of enjoyment in her. He knew that whatever punishment she had decided upon was being given to him for the correct reasons.

"Come with me," Sookie marched out of the office and toward the floor. _"Pam, have the DJ turn off the music and turn on the house lights over the dais."_

As Sookie came onto the club floor with Lukas on her hip, everyone murmured confusedly after the music stopped abruptly. Everyone was whispering in uncertainty while Eric Northman followed his woman to the dais, which had been flooded in overhead lights. All eyes were on them as Sookie turned to her Bonded.

"Be contrite, Eric," Sookie told him firmly.

She could feel his humiliation when he dropped to his knees before the eyes of humans and his subordinate vampires.

"What did you do?" Sookie demanded. "Say it loud enough for everyone to hear."

Eric's jaw clenched when he noticed one of his subordinates staring at him in shock, "I willfully left our son unattended."

"And are you sorry for that, or sorry that I'm making you admit it in front of everyone?" Sookie asked sharply.

Eric's shoulders tightened, "I am sorry I left our son unattended, Sookie."

There was humiliation and guilt surging through the Bond and Sookie smiled gently at him. She reached out her free hand and silently beckoned him to rise. "I forgive you. It's in the past," she told him with a soft kiss. "Now you can glamour the humans into forgetting this whole thing."

"Thank fuck," Eric snarled and dove into the crowd. Between him, Pam, and the other vampires in the club, a mass glamouring was put into effect, and not a single mortal recalled the sight of the great Viking on his knees, begging forgiveness from the petite woman holding a baby.

"That was very impressive, Sookie," Godric smiled after he approached his Child's Bonded. "A very appropriate means of making sure Eric never forgets the child again. I guarantee you, he will remember that lesson long after Lukas is in college."

"Hello, Godric," Sookie greeted her Bonded's Maker. "I only knew I could do it and get away with it because his subordinates are more than aware of what _I_ am capable of doing. Otherwise, I couldn't risk lettin' Eric be that vulnerable in front of them."

Godric smiled, "You really thought this out," he sounded impressed.

Sookie stroked Lukas' back as she stood in awkward silence before Godric. Finally, she managed to utter, "I guess you were wanting to meet with me?"

The older vampire nodded slowly, "How have you been?"

"Good," she assured. "Upset, but good."

Leading Sookie back to the office, Godric sat her down on the couch with Lukas, "So, is this my grand baby?" Sookie laughed and nodded, holding Lukas out for the ancient vampire, "He is a very precious gift for you, Sookie."

"I couldn't agree more," Sookie told him happily. "He makes it easier to let go of the past. Between him and Eric, I don't even care about it. I don't care that Wright had that tape of me. I don't care that you or Eric have seen it. I don't have to see it. I don't want to. The girl on that tape doesn't exist anymore. She isn't dead, she's healed."

"Is she?" Godric asked curiously.

"Oh, yes," Sookie nodded. "Like any old injury, it might ache sometimes, but all I have to do is hold Lukas or my Bonded, and it's like a massage for my soul. They work out the pain for me, they make it easier to manage and cope when old injuries flare up."

"You are ever persevering, Sookie," Godric praised.

Sookie laughed, "I guess, but they make it easy."

"Here I thought I was running up from New Orleans to be your confidante or kindred spirit, and now I find you like this? I am very proud of you, Sookie," he told her.

"I guess I just needed a little more light in my life to find my own," Sookie told him softly when she took Lukas back into her arms.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Remember to review, everyone!**

 **-Andi**


	5. Chapter 5

Making Heroes

 _A/N: As always, thanks to **Msbuffy** for the hard work on editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Five: My Mom and Dad**

"Daddy, will you show me to fly?" Lukas came to where Eric lay on the living room floor with Sookie. They had been crawling and scrambling across the carpet all morning after breakfast, entertaining the exuberant toddler, and it seemed their games were not yet over. Grinning, the vampire took the boy's wrists, put his feet against his belly, and leg-pressed him into the air. Lukas giggled and spread his arms out wide. "I'm flyin', Daddy! Just like you!"

"Yes, and you have very good form!" Eric laughed, bending his knees slightly, and making 'whoosh' noises. "Does this flight come with a meal?" he asked, knowing it was close to the time Lukas ate his lunch. "Oh, Stewardess!" he called his wife, making Sookie giggle and come bustling over on her knees. "What are our meal choices?" Lukas giggled at his parents' game, especially when his daddy simulated turbulence.

"Today's flight has mac'n'cheese or hot dogs!" Sookie told her son, pretending to hold a pad of paper and pen for his order.

"Mac'n'cheese WITH hotdobs!" Lukas shouted excitedly.

" _With_ hotdogs! Oh, you're a hungry airplane!" Sookie kissed at his cheek, making Lukas squeal and then pucker his lips to give her his own baby kisses. "I love workin' for this airline. Lukas kisses are the best!" Lukas beamed at his beautiful mommy and gave her another kiss.

Sometimes Lukas remembered another mommy. Other mommy looked a lot like his real mommy, but she was always asleep and never smiled. Real mommy smiled lots and lots, and she _never_ slept. Real mommy was always there when he woke up. Real mommy gave him kisses and never ignored him.

"Fly safe 'til mommy gets back with lunch, Little Airplane," Sookie rose to her feet, feeling her eyes sprig with tears from Lukas' thoughts. After she stood where her son balanced on Eric's feet, she kissed Lukas' head. "Blue bowl or green bowl?"

"Blue ball!" Lukas chimed.

"Bowl."

"Bull."

"Bowl."

"Bell!"

"Now you're just bein' a smarty pants," Sookie stuck her tongue out at the little boy. Lukas laughed as his mommy went to the kitchen to make him lunch.

{†}

"~ _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please, don't take my sunshine away. ~_ "

The song murmured sweetly, over and over, while a warm hand smoothed fine, wheat curls.

"Do I have to go back to school, Mommy?" Lukas whispered into Sookie's breast. His classmates made fun of Mommy and Daddy. They called mommy a 'Fanger'. They called daddy things like 'tick' and 'flea'.

"Yeah, baby, you do," Sookie told him softly, despite her own despair at what her son's classmates had been hearing from their parents. There was no way a kindergartener should know any of those words in association with her and Eric without an adult having put them there.

"I hate all of them!" Lukas told her angrily.

"Why, baby?" Sookie asked patiently.

"The kids are all mean!"

"Are they mean here," she pointed to his head, "or here?" she pointed to his heart.

"Here," Lukas pointed at his head.

"You can't be angry for the things people think, Lukas," she told him softly. "You have to give people a chance to do and say what's right. Mommy thinks some pretty mean things sometimes, and you don't hate me, do you?"

"But you don't think mean things about me or daddy," Lukas protested.

"That's because you're my precious men!" Sookie laughed.

"They don't like us. I hate them," Lukas asserted.

"Hate is a really strong word, Lukas," Sookie told him. "You won't _like_ everyone you meet, but that's not a reason to hate. Let's not use that word, okay?"

"What about when you make me eat cauliflower? Can I say I hate that?" Lukas asked.

"I don't like cauliflower either. We can hate that one together," Sookie teased.

"Does that mean you won't make me eat it anymore?" Lukas asked with hope.

"No. Sometimes we have to do things we hate, Baby."

{†}

Sookie sat with her face cupped in her hands in an uncomfortable, plastic chair. She listened with great intent to the conversation going on behind closed doors while her husband sat broodingly beside her.

" _Does Eric ever_ _ **bite**_ _your mother, Lukas?" the CPS agent, Marcus Tennen, asked calmly, his hand poised with a pen over a legal pad._

 _Lukas shook his head slowly, confused by the question, "No. Daddy kisses Mommy lots and lots, but I never seen him bite her…."_

" _Has he ever hit your mommy?" the agent continued._

" _He spanked her bottom once," Lukas replied thoughtfully, "but she laughed and gave him a kiss."_

 _Tennen nodded and continued to write on his evaluation, "Has he ever hit you?"_

 _Lukas shook his head again, growing upset at the questions. 'Why would Daddy ever hit Mommy or me?' he wondered angrily. "No," his little voice was sharp._

" _Does he yell at you or Mommy?"_

" _No," Lukas frowned harder. "I don't like these questions. Mommy said you'd just ask about how Daddy treats us!"_

" _I am, Lukas," Tennen assured him gently._

" _No, you're not!" Lukas protested. "You're saying my Daddy's a bad daddy! You think he's mean because he has sharp teeth!"_

" _Has he shown you his teeth, Lukas?"_

" _Yeah," Lukas nodded._

" _When?"_

" _When I asked to see them!"_

" _Why did you want to see them?"_

 _Lukas let out a huff, "Because a teacher called Mommy a 'Fanger', and I wanted to know why."_

 _The agent paused in his notes and looked at Lukas for the first time in several minutes, "And what did your parents tell you when you asked what that meant?"_

 _Lukas' anger subsided as he was filled with sadness, "Mommy got sad. She pulled me in her lap and told me that 'Fanger' was a rude word for people who loved vampires. She said that people who don't understand others use mean words to hurt those people's feelings."_

 _Tennen smiled sympathetically at the boy's words, "When did your teacher say that mean word?" he asked gently._

" _Last week," Lukas whispered. "It hurt my feelings, too. I love my Daddy, and that means I'm a 'Fanger'."_

 _The agent chuckled, "No, Lukas, you and your Mommy aren't 'Fangers'. You are a family. I'm so sorry I had to bring you and your parents down here. I can see that your Mommy and Daddy love each other and you very, very much."_

" _Why did we have to come down here?" Lukas asked quietly._

 _Sighing, the CPS official stepped from behind his desk and came to sit next to the boy, "Did you know you are very special, Lukas?"_

 _Lukas grinned and nodded, "Yeah! Mommy and Daddy tell me that all the time!"_

" _Well, you're special to more than just them. You're the first little boy to ever have a vampire for a daddy! Unfortunately, your mommy was right, and some people find that scary. Someone was worried about you, and they called us to make sure you were all right," he explained. "Now, I know, and you know, that your mommy and daddy are great parents, but I'm going to be dropping by your house a few times to check on you, okay?"_

 _Lukas' grin faded, and he turned thoughtful a moment, "I guess you have to? It's part of your job?"_

 _The agent looked at the boy in surprise, "Yes, yes, it is."_

 _The boy shrugged, "I guess it's okay, then. Mommy and Daddy always say doing your job the way it's s'pose to be done is very important."_

" _They're very right," the man agreed._

" _So, even though you gotta come to our house, you're not going to take me from my Mommy and Daddy?" Lukas asked worriedly._

" _What makes you ask that?"_

 _Lukas bowed his head in shame, "Mommy was crying. She thought I was asleep, but I could hear. She kept asking Daddy what they were going to do if you took me away. She's always been scared people will take me away… Can you tell her you won't take me? I don't want Mommy to cry anymore," Lukas whispered as tears rolled down his cheeks._

 _The CPS agent felt his heart constrict. He had seen cases like these before, though not with a vampire under scrutiny, of course. Situations where nosey neighbors called in inaccurate reports that put parents through hell and embarrassment. After hearing that Lukas' teacher had willfully referred to this boy's mother as a 'Fanger', only made the ache in his chest that much more painful. It did not take a genius to figure who had called in the tip._

" _Let's go tell your mommy and daddy together that you're staying with them, right where you belong," the agent offered with a smile._

 _Lukas beamed up at him, eyes still shiny with tears while he took the man's hand._

Sookie sat bolt upright when Lukas came barreling out of the office. He flung his arms wide to hug his mother after she fell to her knees to receive him. "Baby, oh, you're cryin'!" she sobbed into his hair.

"He's a nice man!" Lukas told her reassuringly. "He knows! He knows you're the best Mommy and Daddy!" he crowed proudly.

"Mr. and Mrs. Northman," Tennen extended his hand once Sookie rose with Lukas in her arms, "I am very sorry to have dragged you three down here." Eric firmly shook the agent's hand, but his jaw was set in a firm line. "I know that our 'tip'," he said the word with annoyance, "is complete garbage, but I have to do my follow-up interviews and a walk-through of your home. There will be three surprise inspections, but I know you don't have anything to worry about. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"We understand," Sookie whispered, wiping her dripping eyes against her son's hair. "I'm sorry you have to waste your time on this."

"That makes two of us," Tennen blanched.

"Three," Eric offered, making the agent smile sadly.

"You two keep up the good work with this kid. He's smart and very sweet. He wanted me to assure you he's not going to be taken away. He really doesn't want you to cry anymore, Mrs. Northman," Tennen offered kindly. "You don't need to cry anymore. He's safe with you."

{†}

"Why aren't there pictures of Ma bein' pregnant with me?" Lukas asked his father softly. Eric missed hearing Lukas say 'Mommy,' but big-boy second graders did not say 'Mommy.' "She's always takin' pictures of Aunt Ang's belly, but I've never seen a picture of Ma when she was pregnant with me…?"

Eric closed his laptop and looked at the young boy with a soft smile, "Your mother did not give birth to you."

Lukas' mouth trembled, "Does that mean you're not my dad either?"

"I am very much your father, Lukas, and your mommy is still your mommy," Eric told him patiently, the same gentle smile never leaving his lips. "We have raised, taught, and worried over you all your life. We love you very, very much. It does not matter who gave you life, it matters with whom you spent that life and whom you loved."

Slinking toward his father, Lukas crawled into his lap, "Does that mean I can't grow up to be the Gatekeeper like Ma?"

Eric snorted, "Did you wish to?"

"I had this dream," Lukas told him. "There was a really big door, and a pretty girl with a giant key. She guards the door just like Ma guards the Gate. She's really sad and alone, though. Not like Mamma at all. Doctor Ludwig keeps tellin' me I'm gonna grow up to do something real important. I was hoping it would be the same job as Ma's 'cause I don't want the job with the big door. It looks real lonely."

{†}

"Hold her gently, Lukas," Sookie fretted while she handed her niece to her seated son. "That's right, hold her head real gentle…."

Jason and Angela were beaming proudly in the hospital. After several grueling hours, they had their first child, a beautiful girl named Annabel. Thanks to Ludwig's simple remedy for both of them to drink plenty of lemonade while trying to conceive, Jason's fairy heritage had no fighting chance of inhibiting his daughter's chance at a long, full life.

"She's all tiny," Lukas said in awe. "Was I this small?"

"Once upon a time," Sookie smiled.

"Was I this small when you got me?" he asked, making Sookie's smile falter. Eric had warned her that Lukas was officially aware that he was adopted, and neither his, nor Sookie's biological child. Sookie had ached, knowing that more questions would come sooner or later.

Sookie took her niece from her son's arms and gently handed Annabel back to her father. "Excuse us," she whispered to Jason uncomfortably. Her brother gave her sympathetic smile as he took his daughter into his arms. Sookie took Lukas' hand and lead him out to the hallway to continue their discussion privately. "Your daddy said you knew you were adopted."

"He said I should ask you if I wanted to know more 'cause you could _show_ me," Lukas told her.

"What do you want to see?" Sookie asked quietly.

"My ma," he replied, and Sookie felt her heart break. In her soul, _she_ was Lukas' mother, and to hear his doubt in that felt like a knife to her heart.

"I only have two memories of your mother, Lukas," Sookie confessed. "One from when we were little girls together, and the other from when she gave you to your father and me."

"I want to see them," Lukas commanded.

"They are not nice memories, Lukas," Sookie warned hesitantly. She feared Lukas would think she would only show him terrible things about his birth mother on purpose.

"I want to see!"

"All right, all right," she hushed him gently before taking his hand and pulling Lukas into a sitting area. Tugging the growing boy into her lap, Sookie placed her hand on his temple and began stroking his hair while she recalled the aging memories.

" _Wait! Wait for me, Hatty!" a young girl's voice shouted to the bigger girl running ahead. Her golden hair was waving like a flag in the breeze as it weaved up the massive hill from the cemetery. "Wait, Hatty! The ghosts will get me!"_

" _You can't catch me! You can't catch me!" the bigger girl taunted as she sprinted up the hill. "The ghosts will get you!"_

" _I'm gonna tell!" the smaller girl cried. "You're s'pose to be playing with me!"_

" _Mamma says I don't have to play with you!" the bigger girl turned her head to stick her tongue out at her. "She says you're loony and I shouldn't play with loony people!"_

" _I'm not loony!" the small girl shouted while she made her tiny limbs work that much harder. She lunged at the bigger girl, but missed, and fell to the ground._

 _The bigger girl turned to point and laugh as the little girl rolled part of the way down the hill, "Ha-ha! See, you're s'pose to be in the cemetery! You can hang out with the ghosts and be creepy together!"_

" _I'm scared of ghosts!" Sookie cried while she scrambled to her hands and knees._

" _Ha-ha! You're slow and crazy!" the big girl mocked her. When the small girl sat up on her knees and began to cry, the big girl started singing, "Crazy Sookie, Crazy Sookie! She's gone kooky, she's gone kooky!"_

 _Little Sookie sat on her knees, crying while Hadley sang the song over and over._

"My mom was the bigger girl you were chasing?" Lukas asked sadly.

Sookie nodded slowly, "Yes, her mother said really mean things about me to her… Little children repeat what their parents say. Your mother thought it was okay to say hurtful things like that because her mother said them. She was just a little girl. She didn't know any better," she tried to defend Hadley, even though she still held a slight grudge over the incident.

"Is the other memory better?" Lukas asked, hope clear in his tone.

Sookie gave him a sad smile, "No, Baby, I'm sorry."

"Show me?" he asked softly, but with much less insistence than before.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Lukas leaned his head into his mommy's chest while he watched her next memory.

 _A very unhappy and unhealthy-looking woman looked at Sookie who stood across the room._

" _Hadley," Sookie said coldly._

" _Sookie," Hadley responded, and a little head popped up._

" _Eric," Sookie gestured to the woman, "this is my cousin, Hadley. Your son?" She gestured to the baby boy._

 _Hadley's lip twitched as if to keep from sneering, "Yeah."_

 _There was a long silence while the two women stared each other down, Hadley not knowing how to say what she needed, and Sookie forcing her to say it, to utter the condemning request._

" _He's," she looked down at the little boy who looked on the verge of tears, "_ _ **like you**_ _."_

" _Yes," Sookie agreed._

" _And I thought…" Hadley trailed off, expecting Sookie to know what she wanted, but the younger woman was going to make her say it, "Since you overcame it, he'd be better off with you."_

" _Overcame what?" Eric asked._

" _Her mental illness!" Hadley spat._

" _Her what?" Eric snarled, and Sookie placed a comforting hand in his._

" _How long would it take you to make him normal, like you?" Hadley ignored the vampire._

" _He will never be normal," Sookie replied in a rather empty voice. "He will always be special. Who is his father?"_

 _"I don't know," Hadley squirmed uneasily. "There were a few guys then. Didn't know all their names. You know how it is."_

" _No. She does not," Eric snapped. "Are you telling me, that you wish for us to raise your bastard child for you because you do not know how to deal with his gift?"_

" _I can't afford the same institutions that Sookie got," Hadley replied shortly._

" _Lucky him," Eric chastised. "Although if he had needed medical attention, I am certain you could have afforded it had you not spent all of your money on drugs." Hadley recoiled at Eric's accurate accusation as if she had been slapped._

"The woman who gave birth to me thought I was crazy?" Lukas asked sadly.

"She knew you were like me, and when I was a child, a lot of people thought I was mentally ill," Sookie explained patiently.

Lukas snuggled tighter against his mother, "I'm sorry I said things that hurt your feelings."

"I'm sorry I didn't have nicer memories of your birth mother," Sookie confessed.

"Do you think she liked me at all?" Lukas asked quietly.

"Yeah, Baby. If she hadn't, she would have left you somewhere to be raised by people who couldn't understand what you are or what you need. Instead, she sought me out, and put you in the arms of people who would love you more than the world, and could guide and teach you the way you needed."

Lukas smiled softly, "Thanks for being my mom."

Sookie kissed the top of his head, her eyes pouring with tears, "Thanks for being my baby."

{†}

"MAMA!" Lukas came barreling into his parents' room hysterically, not even noticing either was naked, nor that his father had been atop his mother at the time.

"Lukas!" Sookie clutched the blanket to her chest as her son dove for her. "What's wrong?" she asked while Eric slipped out of bed to pull his pants back on. Lukas had his face buried in Sookie's shoulder and, no matter how she tried to soothe him, the boy would not stop crying.

"Come here, Lukas," Eric peeled the boy off of his mother and gave him a small shake. "You are upsetting your mother crying like that. Is a bad dream really worth all that fuss?"

"But he's gonna take me from mama!" Lukas wailed.

Eric smiled, "No one is going to take you from your mother. I would not let them."

"He said if I didn't go with him, you'd both die!" he insisted.

"It was only a nightmare, Lukas," Eric assured him. "Now, it is time to go back to bed. You have school in the morning."

Flinging the boy over his shoulder, Eric carried Lukas back to his own bed and tucked him back in, "Could you stay with me, Dad?"

Eric had to resist a groan. He really wanted to get back inside of his wife, but he could feel in the Bond that she was no longer in the mood. "Yes, I will stay until you fall back asleep," Eric promised with a soft smile.

{†}

"Ew! Your mom and dad are kissing in the kitchen!" Lukas' friend Josh made a face when he came back to the bedroom with a soda. Josh was his only friend whose parents allowed him to come to his house. They had been best friends since fifth grade, and Lukas liked how Josh and his parents never used rude words for his parents, even in their heads. They were good people.

"So?" Lukas frowned. 

"That's gross!" Josh insisted.

Lukas laughed and shook his head, "They're always kissing!" When Josh made another disgusted face, the boy could only shrug.

"You don't think it's sick?" Josh wheedled.

"No, Dad says it's a good thing they kiss all the time. He said it means that they're in love and happy to be with each other," Lukas explained.

"My parents never kiss," Josh frowned while he thought about this.

"Maybe you just never catch them," Lukas pointed out reassuringly. "My mom says a lot of people don't like others to see them kissing because they think it's rude."

Josh laughed, "Well, then your parents are _really_ rude! Your dad practically had your mom leaned backward over the counter."

"I don't mind," Lukas told him. "I like knowing my parents are in love."

"I don't wanna know about mine!" Josh made a playful face of revulsion and Lukas laughed.

{†}

"Ma, are you hurt?" Lukas panicked when his mother strolled in the front door, covered in blood.

"No," Sookie replied while she walked toward her bedroom to hop in the shower. "There was a scuffle at the Gate, but I'm not hurt at all," she assured.

"There's so much blood!"

"I know, Baby, but I need to clean up before your daddy gets home. I promise to tell you what happened after I wash up," Sookie told him while she closed the bedroom door and went about bathing.

She was just stepping out of the shower when Eric came into the bathroom, his eyes large and dilated. Sookie grimaced at the expression on his face, realizing that she had been so saturated with fairy blood that the scent had clung to the air, despite submerging herself and her clothes in cold water.

Walking past him, Sookie went to their bed and laid down. It did not take long for her husband to push her legs apart and settle between them. His blunt teeth were nipping at her skin. His hands were clutching her desperately as he forced his cock deep inside her.

"Eric!" she gasped, wrapping her arms and legs around his body. Her hand twisted into his hair while she felt his hips begin to pound viciously against hers. "That's right, Darlin'," she moaned. "Get it out. I got ya," she murmured deliriously, up until his fangs sank into her throat, then she tumbled into the oblivion of orgasm.

Letting out a long, shaky breath, Eric kissed and licked the wound he had left upon her throat. His hands ran soothingly across Sookie's body until her trembles subsided, "I am sorry. I had almost forgotten what it was like being near you and that aroma."

Smiling up at her husband, Sookie confessed, "I really don't mind, Darlin'."

Laughing into her damp hair, Eric kissed her temple and then across her cheek. "I love you, My Sookie."

"I love you, Eric."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Remember to review, everyone!**

 **-Andi**


	6. Chapter 6

Making Heroes

 _A/N: As always, thanks to **Msbuffy** for the hard work on editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Six: Blood**

"Ma, you're embarrassing me," Lukas complained as his mother proudly snapped picture after picture of her son.

"You graduated high school!" Sookie protested, still snapping away with her phone. "Your father couldn't come to commencement, and I want to make sure he gets to see everything!"

Rolling his eyes, Lukas told her, "It's not a big deal. People graduate every year." Sookie frowned and put her camera away, and Lukas heard her thinking about how she had never gone to school. "Ma," Lukas stopped her, "let's take one more picture."

Taking off his graduation cap, he placed it on his mother's head, and then held his own phone out to take a picture of him and Sookie. His mother beamed at him happily, giving her son a strong hug. "I'm so proud of you, Lukas."

"Thanks, Ma," He smiled, happy that he could bring a smile to her face.

On their drive home, Sookie could not resist the proud glances she gave her son. Her face was cracked into a wide grin all the way to the house. However, when she pulled into the driveway, her grin faded as a strange aura enveloped her.

"Lukas! Stay in the car!" Sookie told her son as she threw the vehicle into park and jumped out the door. Standing on her lawn was a young man, not much older than her son. "Who are you?" Sookie demanded, quickly realizing she could not hear the intruder's thoughts.

"Sookie!" Eric came storming out of the front door, and she saw him fumble as he, too, was encased in the unnerving atmosphere. He looked about quickly, finding his wife, and then looking at their unwelcome guest. "Endymion," he whispered.

"Who?" Sookie demanded.

"Sookie," Eric ran to his wife, "that is Endymion, the Voice of the Pantheon."

"What does that mean?" Sookie whispered worriedly.

"He is the embodiment of Divine Intervention," Eric explained quickly.

"You have a boy in your care," Endymion declared. His dark, brown curls hung loosely around his chin, his blue eyes sharp as glacial ice. "I have come to retrieve him."

"The hell you are!" Sookie snarled. She heard the car door opening, and she thrust out with her telekinesis to slam the door shut once more. "You stay away from my son!"

"I could say the same thing," Endymion claimed. "The boy is mine and I am taking him home."

"Seventeen years too late, Endymion," Sookie told him irately. "He is _my_ son, and you are not taking him anywhere!"

"You cannot stop Divine Intervention," Endymion told her intolerantly.

"And you cannot overrule free will!" Eric snapped, finally finding it in him to join the fight. "It is our son's choice to go with you."

"Not in this instance. He is a direct descendent of my bloodline. As his blood father, I may take him at my will," Endymion stated. "Free will has no power here."

"Over my dead body," Sookie growled, and reached into her purse for her sword. As it came forth, it grew to its full length, and the Gatekeeper wielded it menacingly. "Just try and take him, and I'll take your head!"

"Sookie!" Eric tried to pull her back, but Endymion was already charging for the car.

His wife swung with lightning speed, and gasped when the Voice merely deflected the cut with his bare forearm. The strength with which he deflected the blow sent Sookie stumbling backward, so she pushed out with her telekinesis once more, intent on blowing Endymion apart.

"Fairy weapons and witch magic are nothing!" Endymion roared, flinging his arms outward and dispelling her magic, sending Sookie sailing into the front of the house, through a window.

Frozen by the knowledge that there was nothing he could do to stop the Voice, Eric's body finally snapped into action when his wife screamed, "STOP HIM!" Paternal instinct outweighed common sense. Love for his son erased any preconceived notion that Endymion was invincible.

Snarling under his breath, Eric lunged for Endymion, only to be thrown into the stone fence, causing it to crumble.

"Vampire strength? You know better than that, Northman!" Endymion sneered while he was now reaching for the door.

"YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM!" Sookie screamed and she propelled herself from the window, wielding her sword once more. Endymion turned, and Sookie was suddenly suspended. She found her arms twisting inward against her will, the point of her saber pressed into her chest. She was frozen in midair, her chest blossoming with blood, a warning to pull away.

"Retreat now or impale your heart," Endymion told her in a firm, low voice.

"Never-"

"I'LL GO!" Lukas cried, pushing open his door. "Take me! Don't hurt them!"

"Lukas!" Eric cried, attempting one last rush, and finding himself caught at the neck by his worst enemy.

"No, stop!" Lukas pleaded. "I'll go with him! Don't die! I'll go, Endymion! Please, I'll be the new Voice like you want. Just don't hurt them!"

"Place your hand on my shoulder, Boy," Endymion commanded.

"And then you'll let them go?" Lukas asked desperately.

"And then we will disappear, and all that has happened will be undone," Endymion assured.

Sniffling, Lukas reached out and placed his hand on Endymion's shoulder. He looked to his parents beseechingly while he yelled, "It's not your fault!"

"NO!" his parents cried in unison, but it was a fading, desperate plea, one that echoed in his ears long after they had vanished from Lukas' sight.

The next thing Lukas saw was a graveyard, and soon, a swirling mist his mother had only ever shown him, once, when he was thirteen-years-old. "That's Elfyria," Lukas whispered, "but you didn't raise any Empyrodite to open it?"

"Divine Intervention does not need Empyrodite to open the Gate," Endymion explained shortly.

He practically dragged the young man through the Gate, and Lukas did not have time to marvel the beauty and foliage of Elfyria as he was soon teleported into a deep, dark forest. Before him was a wall that became a massive, double door, and several creatures he could not have imagined stood nearby, gazing at him dispassionately, humanoid fawn with furry, caramel hides, and long, narrow faces.

"The Cervine clan," Endymion told him while he knocked on the large, imposing door that seemed to go nowhere. "Their duty is to protect this Door to Time and Space, and make certain the unworthy never enter."

Slowly, the door creaked open. Despite its sheer size, taller than his parents' house and just as wide, the door only opened far enough for them to squeeze through before echoing closed once more. A cold, dark mist swirled at Lukas' feet, and the young man could hear a sound far into the shadows, the sound of an angry battle cry. Lukas cringed from the noise.

"The Titan Chronus dwells in this sacred space," Endymion told him, his eyes harsh and uncompromising, "banished to its darkness and oblivion for manipulating Time and Space for his own enjoyment."

Lukas looked up in confusion as Endymion nodded to a creature that looked identical to the Cervine, except her coat was an inky black. He had seen such a creature… In a dream… Long ago.

"Oceanus," Endymion nodded. "To my Lookout."

Oceanus raised a long staff in the shape of a key and tapped it against the closed door through which they had just entered. When it inched open once more, Lukas did not know where he was. The Cervine were there, but the world itself seemed bleak, nothing like the Elfyria from where they had entered the Door.

Before Lukas could figure out where he was, Endymion teleported them again, and they were in a world where everything was white, the floors, the buildings, even the sky. It was as if he was standing in the middle of a cloud.

"This is where I leave you, Boy," Endymion told him.

"But-"

"You will learn quickly. Your guide will train you," Endymion told him.

"Where are you going?"

 _To die,_ Endymion thought, but he said nothing as he vanished for the final time.

"Endymion?" a sweet voice called.

"Uh, Lukas," the young man introduced, turning to find a young, beautiful woman standing before him. Her hair was waist length and blonde. Her eyes were a luminescent blue, and her ears pointed toward her crown. Large, white wings framed her slight body, and she seemed like a warm, beautiful angel, "A-are you the guide?"

"Yes," She smiled sadly. "I will be the one who takes you to the Chamber of Worlds. It is how all new Endymions discover the origins of all things. It is where you will learn about all the worlds you govern, where their timelines currently lie, what event horizons are destined to befall them, and how to take action when needed."

"Will I ever see my mom and dad again?" he asked sadly.

"Not for a very long time, Endymion, but your father gave you a very precious gift," the woman offered. "He brought you to be trained in a dimension apart from your home world. That means, when you are allowed to return, you can do so without much time having elapsed for your parents. You will be able to comfort them and let them know that you are well and happy."

"Will I be happy?" Lukas asked sadly.

"Oh, yes, Endymion!" she assured. "You will know a love like no other! Every living and unliving creature will be child to you! Their pain is yours, their success is yours… You will take pride in all that they achieve!"

"I want my ma," Lukas whispered.

"I know, sweet boy," she soothed.

"I wish my dad was here, too," he went on.

"Your father tried to give you as much time with them as he could, Endymion," she told him. "However, another of his dimensions is about to be devoured by the Beasts of Despair."

"Garm and Fenrir?" Lukas asked, having heard those names in Endymion's head while they had traveled to the Door. The woman nodded. "What are you?"

"I am an Angel," she told him sweetly.

"What do I call you?"

Smiling sweetly, she answered, "Adairia."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Remember to review, everyone!**

 **-Andi**


	7. Chapter 7

Making Heroes

 _A/N: As always, thanks to **Msbuffy** for the hard work on editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Seven: My Son, Endymion**

"I couldn't protect him!" Sookie wailed into her husband's chest.

"Shh, Sookie," Eric's eyes leaked red droplets onto her crown. His heart felt as though it were breaking over and over. Not just for his Bonded's despair, but for the loss of son. At some point, he had become a father, and not realized it. He ached and mourned their loss, but he could offer no words or feelings of comfort in His Sookie's greatest moment of need. "I am so sorry I failed you, Sookie…"

"You didn't," she protested, clutching his shirt tighter. "We were both powerless! The Gods took him, Eric! They let that monster take our baby! I _hate_ them! I HATE THEM!" she screamed toward the end, sobbing brokenly into his chest.

"Sookie," he tried to calm the rage growing inside of her, "the Gods have just as little control over Fate as anyone else. That is why Divine Intervention exists."

"I don't care!" she told him as she hiccupped uncontrollably. "He could have told us sooner. When we first received Lukas! Endymion could have _warned_ us!"

"Then…we might not have loved Lukas so deeply, Sookie," Eric tried to explain. "We raised a boy into a man who understands and cherishes love. He will come back to us. When he has the power, he will come back."

" _When_?" Sookie sobbed desperately.

"Soon," he assured.

"I want him back _now!_ " she took deep, ragged breaths.

"I know, Sookie. So do I," Eric whispered, smoothing her bloodstained hair.

All his wife could do was cry, but Eric felt an inner peace settling into his heart. When she had cried herself dry, Eric could explain about Divine Intervention. He could tell her things to sooth her ravaged soul. It was only now that the vampire was able to think through the earlier altercation and grasp some semblance of understanding.

 _Something has happened_ , he thought worriedly. Endymions did not randomly decide to reproduce. Carnal pleasures were something they only participated in with the Goddess Selene by way of inhabiting human vessels. For Endymion to have sired a child, he would have purposefully done so.

Endymions did not _retire_ , their immortality was absolute. They were the strongest and most magically potent creatures in all of Supernatural history. There were only two things that could kill Endymion; one of which was just dark whispers of lore that spoke of two hounds who brought forth the devouring of an entire universe. Eric was not sure about that myth, but the one he _did_ know to be true was that of the Titan Chronus.

The head of Endymion's Bloodline and the Black Cervine, Oceanus.

As Eric's thoughts wandered, and his hands continued to stroke Sookie's back absentmindedly; he was too distracted to notice the strange sound of wind chimes. However, the brilliant flash of light filling his dwelling quickly caught his attention.

Eyes still filled with tears, Eric and Sookie both fell into defensive fighting stances at the invader.

"Hi, Ma. Hi, Dad," Lukas smiled warily at his parents.

Sookie frowned, her body tightening. She could not hear the trespasser's thoughts, but those beautiful blue eyes and almost brown hair were very much her son's. His voice only had a fraction of his usual accent, and she felt her body tense further.

"I know you can't hear me anymore," Lukas whispered. "It was part of my training as Endymion," he explained. Looking at the coffee table, he smiled when he saw his cell phone sitting there. Reaching for it, he quickly unlocked the phone and showed Sookie the graduation photo they had taken earlier that day. "I wanted you to feel like it was your graduation, too. I wanted to make you smile," he told her pleadingly.

"Lukas!" Sookie shouted as she leapt over the table and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "My baby! Are you okay? What did they do to you? How did you escape so quickly!? I'm so sorry I didn't protect you! Forgive me!" she begged and sobbed into his chest.

"Ma, I didn't escape," Lukas chuckled. "I'm the new Endymion."

"What happened to your voice?" Sookie demanded.

He laughed, pulling away to smooth her hair, "It's a very long story, but I'll make it simple. I can jump between dimensions and time. It may have only felt like hours since I was taken away, but for me… It's been much longer."

"It's felt much longer than a few hours to me, too!" Sookie wailed as she pulled his face down to plant kisses against his cheeks and forehead.

"Seriously, Ma," Lukas tried to explain. "It's been almost seven hundred years for me."

Sookie paused in her rain of kisses and pulled away, "You remembered your phone's code after seven hundred years?"

"It's your birthday. I'll never forget that," he laughed and pulled her in for another hug.

"How long do I get to keep you?" Sookie asked.

Lukas frowned, "Not long. I can only stay in a dimension for short times before things start getting screwy. If I need to stay for extended periods of time, I need to inhabit a vessel."

"But-but-"

"Ma, it's okay. I'm fine, and I promise to visit from time to time. But… I have a lot of responsibilities. Everyone's counting on me. I only came back to this time to let you know I was safe and happy. I think about you a ton, and it's really fun seeing you in some of the different dimensions."

"I exist in different dimensions?" Sookie asked in surprise.

Lukas nodded with a mischievous grin that Sookie knew all too well, "Yup, Dad, too."

Eric smiled at his son, but remained by the sofa. He had never shed a tear in front of Lukas his entire life, and the evidence of his earlier sorrow still dried in Sookie's hair was too much. If he embraced his son, he would be unable to keep the tears at bay.

"Am I as much of a badass in the other dimensions?" Eric asked jokingly.

Lukas rolled his eyes, "More of a handful than a badass, but you keep Ma in line."

Sookie's jaw slung open, "Lukas!"

The Voice of the Pantheon shrugged, "What can I say, Ma? You're a troublemaker, or trouble finds you a lot of the time."

Scowling, Sookie crossed her arms over her chest, "So, short period? Is that a day? A week?"

"Only two hours, Ma," Lukas smiled apologetically. "If I push it that far, though, I can't return for a month in this dimension's time. I can't risk being locked out for that long, so I'll only stay a few more minutes."

His mother pouted at the limited time she had with him, but she slowly appreciated that she had him at all. Only minutes ago, she had thought he was gone forever.

"I will cherish every second, Baby," Sookie told him, stroking his face.

"Me, too, Ma," Lukas assured, holding her hand to his cheek.

"So," Eric cleared his throat, feeling as though he was invading a private moment, "what have you been up to?"

Lukas shrugged, "A little bit of everything."

Eric smiled, "Anything involving your mother or father?"

Lukas smiled back, giving nothing away, "Maybe here and there. After seven hundred years, I was bound to run into you guys at some point."

"Lukas," Sookie asked slowly, "are you able to take things with you wherever it is that you go?"

"A few things," he told her. "Why?"

Sookie smiled and ran to the den. She grabbed a picture from the mantel, and came jogging back, "I want you to take this, so you remember us."

Lukas gazed at the photo. It was from his first Christmas. Pam had taken the picture of the three of them sitting in front of the tree.

"I'm sorry my biological father took me away like he did," Lukas whispered, still staring at the picture. "He figured it would be quicker to fight and defeat, rather than to explain and persuade you to let me leave."

"Because he can only stay here for so long?" Eric asked.

Lukas shook his head, "No. He was going to die, and I needed to be… I needed to start my training before he died."

Eric's shoulders tensed, "What took him?"

Lukas looked up and frowned, "Two hell beasts. Garm and Fenrir. They were going to devour one of his dimensions, and he had already lost one to them. He couldn't bear the pain of it again."

"They are real?" Eric asked in surprise.

Lukas nodded, "Very."

"Is there anything I can do to keep them from coming here?" Eric asked angrily.

Lukas laughed and shook his head, "Don't worry, Dad. They're taken care of now."

"You destroyed them?" Eric sounded impressed.

"No," his son laughed again. "I gave them to a woman who really needed someone to love and to love her back. They love her so much that they never want to leave her. So, they decided that as long as she exists, they want to stay with her." Before Eric could point out that only bought them a few decades, Lukas told him, "She is vampire."

"Impressive," Eric nodded approvingly.

"What can I say? I've seen love do some pretty impressive things," He gazed at his mother sadly.

Sookie gasped at the look her son gave her, "Lukas," she whispered, "you can't see the _past,_ too, can you?" He nodded slowly. "You looked at mine, didn't you?" her voice was barely audible, but he could hear her disappointment in him.

"I did," he said in a hushed tone. "That's why, when I left to come see you, I thought I'd bring you something."

Frowning when her son stretched out his hands, Sookie tentatively took them in hers.

 _~ "Sookie! My sweet girl!" a woman with Sookie's eyes laughed while she lifted a small blonde girl into the air. "My sweet, special girl!"_

 _~ "I love you so much, Peaches," a man whose hair was the exact shade as Sookie's kissed her head over and over._

 _~ "You're so clever, Dear," an old woman crooned proudly while the little girl held up a picture she had fastened to a string so it would hang on her door. It was a crude drawing of her parents, grandmother, brother, and her._

 _~ "I'm thinkin' of a number between one and ten-"_

" _Four!" the girl chimed, making her brother laugh._

" _I'm thinkin' of a color-"_

" _Blue!" she giggled, her hands over her mouth. ~_

Sookie stared up at her son in wonder, "They all really loved you, Ma. All that was before Brigant, Compton, and André stepped in, and ruined everything. They knew your gift was real. Their love for you was very, _very_ real."

A wide grin split his mother's face, and Lukas enveloped her in a tight hug, "I love you, Ma," he whispered into her ear. "I'll come back again as soon as I can."

Eric finally closed the distance between himself and his son. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Sookie and Lukas, until the younger-looking man pulled away.

"It's time that I left," Lukas told them regretfully.

"We love you, Lukas," Eric told him.

"We love you so much," Sookie emphasized. "I'm so proud of you! Thank you! For the memories, and coming back to us as quickly as you could!"

"I love you, too," he told them. "I'll see you soon."

With that, an arpeggio of chimes rang merrily, and a bright flash swallowed their son into oblivion.

"Are you all right, Sookie?" Eric asked softly.

"Yes and no," she confessed. "I'm glad he's okay, and happy, but I wish he was here always."

"I know how you feel," Eric agreed.

Taking a deep breath, Sookie looked to her Bonded and requested, "Tell me about Endymion? Now that I'm not fallin' apart, I would really like to know what it is my son does."

Smiling, Eric took Sookie's hand and led her to their bedroom. He pulled her into his arms and began to speak quietly, "Endymion is the Voice of the Pantheon. Mostly we call him The Voice, or humans call him Divine Intervention. When the Gods or Goddesses need the world to move in a different direction, it is Endymion's job to encourage that action without interfering in Free Will. It may be actions as simple as introducing two people or as complex as arranging a wide series of events to occur. Mostly, Endymion acts of his own accord, but he _must_ obey the commands of the Gods and Goddesses when they have voted on an event unanimously."

"So, he's sort of like an architect? Buildin' the world by carefully plannin' events?" Sookie asked.

"Very much," Eric agreed. "There are many dimensions, and many Endymions, but they all have specific dimensions they rule over. Mostly they are worlds very similar to each other with only moderate variations. However, some dimensions are more important than others. Ours would be important because it has a healthy Elfyria, which is the origin of all magic. One healthy Elfyria may sustain the magical needs of many, many different dimensions because the Door of Time and Space exists there, and the magic can be siphoned and exported."

"How did I never know any of this?" Sookie asked, surprised.

Eric smiled and stroked her hair, "Because it is not something one would randomly consider. _I_ only know this because I have been around a very long time."

"Lukas is nearly as old as you," Sookie whispered. "The next time he visits, he could be _older_ than you!" she realized forlornly.

Eric nodded, "Yes, it is more than possible."

"What if he forgets about me?" Sookie whispered sadly.

"Dear One, he has spent seven hundred years away from your side, and still remembers your birthday. A child never forgets his mother," Eric assured her.

"That's something I don't quite get," Sookie admitted. "How has he been away seven hundred years, but it's only been a few hours for us? Is it like how Elfyria moves at a different speed?"

Eric shook his head, "No. Elfyria has a definite correlation in time with our realm. How Lukas experiences time is very different. He could be in his realm, watching the worlds unfold, awaiting instruction, or setting his own plans into motion. Then, he chooses a time and dimension to appear, performs his task, and returns to his own realm to see how it plays out."

Sookie groaned, "That seems tedious."

"It probably is," Eric agreed. "However, Lukas can only interfere in an event _once_ , and then he may never return to that event. Therefore, if he messes up, he cannot return to undo what he has done. He has to go either ahead or backward from that event to then try to change it."

"Oh, Gosh, that's _very_ tedious!"

Eric laughed and nodded, "Yes. Nonetheless, that is why so much time passes for him. He must be very meticulous in his plans and decisions. Timing is crucial for him." He pressed his forehead to her temple and whispered, "I feel your pride swelling."

"I'm very proud of our son," she smiled.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Remember to review, everyone!**

 **-Andi**


	8. Chapter 8

Making Heroes

 _A/N: As always, thanks to **Msbuffy** for the hard work on editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Eight: In This Place**

After six months, Sookie still found herself listening for her son's voice calling for her. She would be pouring over her records for the Gate, and suddenly stop, her ears perked, listening for a voice calling out to her. Seventeen years of Lukas' voice calling to her were like phantom pains. She still heard her son needing help or advice. She still yearned to guide him, even though he was long past any need for her counsel.

Eric looked up from his laptop to see his Bonded's neck craned as she looked over her shoulder for the boy who would not come. Today was harder for her than most. It was Lukas' birthday. Smiling sadly, he closed the top of his computer and dropped it on the sofa. She was still looking away from him as he came to the desk and placed his strong hands over hers. She looked up and returned his melancholy grin.

Even with the knowledge that Lukas was well and doing profound work, it could not ease a mother's heart, never knowing when she would see her son's face.

"Sookie?" Eric's smile became more joyous, "let us go for a drive."

"A drive?" she frowned, looking at the high noon sun. Despite that Eric could go into the sunlight, he rarely ventured off their property to enjoy it. People sighting him were too probable, and he did not often take chances.

"Yes," he nodded. "One hour?"

Nodding, curiosity growing in her, Sookie looked back to her reports while Eric left the room to make preparations for their outing. When the hour was past, she stacked her books neatly and placed them in the fireproof safe recessed in the wall.

"Are you ready to go?" Eric asked when he poked his head into the study.

"Yes. Whenever you are, Darlin'," Sookie agreed as she went to their room to slip on a pair of shoes. Eric took her hand and lead her to the garage. Smiling while the large door opened, he pulled out into the warm sunlight.

They drove for some time before Sookie felt a vague sense of nostalgia creeping inside of her. Something about the journey seemed distantly familiar, and it was not until she saw the marker for the Gardens of the American Rose that she realized where it was he was taking her.

"Eric," she whispered breathlessly.

"Yes?" was all he replied, feeling her recognition.

"We haven't been here since you proposed."

"Yes," he agreed with a laugh while he pulled onto the exit, and began traveling the access road to their destination. He could feel Sookie's anticipation growing in the Bond, and he took her hand, bringing it to his lips to plant soft kisses along her knuckles.

When they arrived at the gardens, Eric came around to Sookie's door, opened it, and took her hand to assist her out of the car. She beamed up at him as they made their way to the tourist booth, and Eric signed in for their private viewing time. He glamoured the woman at the desk and she nodded with a politely blank expression while they proceeded to the grounds.

"Wow," Sookie whispered. "This place has changed a lot…."

"It has been over twenty years since we were last here," Eric reminded. "There are all manner of new hybrid roses that have been created since then."

Sookie pointed to the large arbors with their cascading blooms and pulled him in their direction, "That's where you proposed to me!"

Eric nodded with a large smile splitting his lips, "Yes, I remember lifting you to smell them. When I pulled you back into my arms, you were so focused on your love for me that I knew it was the perfect time to ask you to marry me."

"And nearly six years later, you finally got the second ring on my finger," Sookie teased when they were once more beneath the cascading petals.

"I enjoyed those six years," He lifted her high above his head, so she could bury her noise in the heady aroma.

"Mmm, they smell better than I remembered," Sookie sighed as she felt herself being lowered back to the ground. When her feet were firmly on the earth once more, Sookie pressed her cheek into Eric's chest and whispered, "You still smell the best, though."

"If we relive this moment much more, I fear we may invoke a fairy to pop in and ruin everything," Eric murmured against her crown.

Sookie laughed, "Yeah, well, this time I have a better handle on my telekinesis."

"True," Eric agreed. "Does that mean it is within reason to make love to my wife in the sunlight, on the very lawn I made love to her after she became my fiancée?"

Sookie's reply was to take his hands and place them on the hem of her dress. With a pleased smile, Eric lifted the garment while Sookie's hands rose above her head. Throwing the dress aside, Eric made quick work of removing her bra and panties.

Shivering, Sookie confessed, "November is chillier than May."

"I will warm you up," Eric assured her, grasping her bottom and pulling her in close before dropping to his knees and laying them on the grass. His mouth rained kisses along her jaw to her throat, and his hands squeezed her bottom until they glided up her torso to clutch gently at her breasts. "Warming up?" he asked playfully, giving her nipples alternating tugs.

Sookie's reply was a moan while her hips arched up to push against his, "Get naked with me, Darlin'. Even in November, the sun feels good on my skin."

Eric growled in agreement as he pulled away to yank off his shirt and begin taking off his boots. Sookie's hands slowly began to undo his pants to hurry their afternoon tryst along, but unsurprisingly, Eric batted her fingers away. He always liked doing things his own speed, and Sookie would not have wanted it any other way.

"Twenty-six years with me, and still not an ounce of patience!" Eric teased when he was finally naked and layering himself over her. "I have half the mind to take this even _slower_!"

Sookie whimpered and arched beneath him, "Don't you dare."

His reply was to shove his pants down and swiftly enter his wife, earning a pleased moan.

"Oh, yes!" she cried, wrapping her arms and legs around his body, and holding Eric close as he thrust passionately against her. "See? Sometimes impatience has its rewards!" she moaned as his tempo increased and her arms released him to clutch at the soft grass beneath her.

"Being inside of you is always a reward," Eric rumbled as he held onto her tightly and pushed himself deeply. "Knowing you, loving you, being yours… They are all rewards I never deserved!"

Sookie moaned louder at his impassioned claims. Her back arched to force him deeper inside. Her legs flexed against his rear to push that much harder. "I love you, I love you!" she chanted as he clutched savagely at her breast. His thumb plucked at her nipple roughly, earning another frenzied cry as her hips twisted in delight.

"I love you, My Sookie," Eric growled, nipping at her throat while his hand drifted from her breast, down her belly, and to the pleasure point above where they were joined. As she climaxed, his pace slowed, and his hips lulled gently while she pulsed around him. "I want to savor and enjoy you over and over, Sookie, here in the sunlight you have given me."

As her breathing calmed, Sookie wrapped herself around him once more, letting his cock stoke the flames of her passion anew. She climbed slower this time, enjoying his lips against her skin, and his hand caressing her body. When her next orgasm coiled inside of her, she let out a resounding sob as she heard him groan and felt him fill her with his ardor, joining him in bliss.

While the pair lay in the sun, upon the sloping greens of the gardens, the soft ringing of a nearby wind chime filled their ears. Both smiled contentedly at each other until a blinding flash stole their vision.

Eric snarled, looking for a threat, anticipating a fairy once again encroaching on their intimacy. What he found was his son standing above them, looking mischievously amused.

"You are over seven hundred years old, Lukas! Yet, you _still_ manage to interrupt me while I am inside of your mother!" Eric growled at his son.

Lukas laughed and shook his head before looking away to allow them the privacy to redress. When they stood before him, his mother flushed in embarrassment and his father scowling in annoyance, Lukas chuckled again, "Let's go for a walk," he suggested.

Rolling his eyes, Eric took Sookie's hand in his and followed his son through the gardens.

"I did not arrive at this time to be a nuisance," Lukas told them.

"Well, you are succeeding at what you did not intend," Eric snapped.

"Happy Birthday, Baby," Sookie interrupted her husband's grumbling to smile warmly at her son.

Lukas blinked before laughing, "I did not realize! Thank you, Ma!"

"You are a manipulator of time and space, yet you forgot your own birthday?" Eric raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Ironic, yes," Lukas nodded bemusedly. "Actually, I came here over a very serious matter."

His parents stopped in their tracks, "Divine Intervention?" they asked in unison.

Lukas shook his head, "If only."

"What is it, Baby? You know we'll help you any way we can," Sookie encouraged.

Lukas turned to his father, his expression solemn, "Dad, do you know of Chronus?"

Eric stared a moment at his son before slowly saying, "The Titan. He was the originator of the bloodline that protected the Door of Time and Space. Technically, he is your relative."

Lukas nodded, "Yes. He is also the sire of Oceanus, the one who actually resides in the Void of Time and Space. She is the wielder of the Time Key that opens the door to any time, in any dimension."

Eric nodded, "Oceanus' mother also bore a tribe of Cervine who were sworn to guard the Door in Elfyria, particularly to protect Oceanus from those who would do her harm."

Lukas waved his hand to stop Eric from continuing, "Oceanus is in danger."

"Who breached the Cervine!?" Eric demanded frantically.

Shaking his head, Lukas told him, "No one. It is Chronus. When he tried to take the Time Key from Oceanus, he was banished by the Pantheon to the depths of the Void. He has wandered there for millennia, searching for the Door, intent on thrusting it open, and releasing its mists onto all dimensions."

"What does that mean?" Sookie asked breathlessly.

"No one knows for sure. The Doors have never been opened all the way, but it is believed by releasing the mists of the Void, all dimensions would become frozen for eternity. Chronus would rule over land upon land of statues. The King of all, and without mortal will and spirit keeping the Pantheon in existence, they would disappear. Forgotten by time and man," Lukas whispered. "The other possibility is just as grim. The obliteration of all past, present, and future. A complete reset, or completely erased. As you can guess, no one really _wants_ to know."

"What could we possibly do?" Eric asked, a frown drawing across his face. "Only descendants of Chronus may enter the Void without being erased. You are not our biological child. Obviously we are not part of your bloodline."

Lukas licked his lips, "No, but… The Void may be entered very briefly by those not of Chronus' lineage."

"How briefly?" Eric asked sharply.

"Thirty seconds," his son replied.

Eric rolled his eyes, "Your mother and I are great warriors, Lukas, but an entire _army_ of us could not destroy a Titan in thirty seconds!"

"How, pray tell, does one destroy a Titan?" Sookie asked in bafflement. "Aren't they descendants of Gods? Hell, we couldn't even stop Endymion from taking you!"

Lukas ran his hand through his hair, "I am about to tell you something that…frankly, is not something I should be telling you."

Eric's ears perked, "What is it, Lukas?"

Taking a deep breath, their son whispered, "There is a dimension where mother _is_ a descendent of Chronus."

"What?" Eric reeled.

"How!?" Sookie yelped.

Lukas grimaced before mumbling, "I used your mother's father as a vessel, and Selene fused with her mother. Your mother was conceived during our…union… So, technically, in that dimension, you are umm… My granddaughter?" Sookie's eyes widened further and further during her son's explanation. "Not biologically, of course, but on a magical level… Yeah…."

"Oh My God," Sookie groaned, her face going red. "Lukas! How could you!? That's _wrong_ on so many levels!"

"I _had_ to!" Lukas protested. "It was part of my duty in Divine Intervention. It wasn't incest. I was with Selene!"

"Selene who!?" Sookie demanded angrily.

"The Goddess of the Moon, Dear One," Eric explained. "She is the lover of all Endymions."

"Great, my son's part of a harem!" Sookie shouted, making her husband laugh.

"Ma, the point is, there is a _you_ that can remain in the Void without being erased from time!" Lukas told her desperately.

"Fat lotta good that does us. _I'd_ still disappear."

Lukas was shaking his head again and his mother wanted to shake _him_. "In another dimension you have the ability to grant perfect wishes."

"Am I a fucking genie, too!?" Sookie growled.

"You are an angel," Lukas explained. "An angel's feathers grant perfect wishes."

Sookie took a long, slow breath, "Lukas, what is it you want me to do?"

"In the dimension where you are part of my magical line, your power is immense. I mean, way more powerful than you are now. You are infused with the divine magic of a _Goddess_. You are a powerhouse. In the dimension where you are an angel, you have Living Immortality. You literally cannot be killed. I want you to fuse your spirits into one, so you can fight Chronus. End him once and for all, the way none of us ever could," Lukas finished in a whisper.

"If Angel me and Powerhouse me have all that going for them, what do you need _actual_ me for?" Sookie asked, a confused crease burrowing into the middle of her forehead.

Her son bowed his head, "You are the only one of the four with a warrior's spirit."

"Four? You've only mentioned three," Eric pointed out.

Lukas cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Yes, the fourth is more advantageous than necessary. She is vampire, so you will have the speed you need to go all out. Also, she is very… Levelheaded?"

"Are you saying I'm a loose cannon?" Sookie raised her eyebrows.

"Maybe too over-confident?" Lukas offered in consolation, making his father laugh and nod in agreement. "I grew up watching you come home from the Gate with wounds you would not have sustained if you hadn't been so impulsive and cocksure."

Sookie grumbled to herself, knowing he was right, but too proud to admit it.

"Will I be assisting in any way?" Eric asked.

"Passively," Lukas told him apologetically. "You see, other than being the same person, the Sookies of all four dimensions have something else in common. They're all Bonded to you. That is the catalyst I need for them to be able to cooperate in a single body. Also, I need you to escort Ma to the door. Well, the Cervine will actually escort you both, but I can't have Ma going into Elfyria without you because of the extreme separation sickness you would both succumb to instantaneously."

"What about when I enter the Void?" Sookie asked worriedly.

"Time stops on the outside," Lukas assured. "Dad won't be affected, and the yous will only feel whatever emotion he was offering once you entered the Void. Dad, that's why it's very important that you give out the _strongest_ emotion you possibly can. Love, confidence… Something positive. It has to be powerful though, because that's what Ma's gonna be fueling on during her fight."

Sookie took another deep, calming breath, "You still haven't told me how we kill a Titan."

"Each one is different. Chronus feeds on the darkness of the Void. Imprisoning him there was a double-edged sword. It was the only place he could be contained. Oceanus tricks him into going deeper into the Void when he gets too close to the Door, but being kept there has made him stronger than ever. The only way to destroy him is with a source of light."

"Great, I'll pack some matches," Sookie grumbled.

"Sookie," Eric looked at his wife excitedly, " _Fairy Light_!"

His wife groaned, "I'm still terrible at that, Eric."

"But the Sookie from my magical line has amazingly powerful Fairy Light!" Lukas told her. "Only… like I said, she isn't a warrior. She'd never be able to unleash that kind of power, and you'll still have to physically weaken him in a head-on battle, but focus the energy, and destroy him."

Sookie glanced at her watch, "Lukas, you've been talkin' with us almost an hour. You can't stay much longer."

"I know, I know, but I need to know if you'll do it."

Sookie's expression softened, "You're my son, and you're asking me for help. Of course, I'll do it."

Lukas sighed in relief and handed his mother a piece of paper, "This is the exact time and date you need to enter Elfyria. It has instructions on what you are supposed to do when you arrive at the Door. The Cervine will take you to it. Two of them will be waiting for you in Elfyria."

"I'll see you again soon, Baby," Sookie pulled her son into a hug, kissing his cheek. "Consider this your birthday present for the next fifty years."

Lukas pulled away, grinning, "Thanks, Ma."

Eric enveloped his son in his own embrace and mumbled in his ear, "I feel like your mother is constantly kicking more ass than I am."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Remember to review, everyone!**

 **-Andi**


	9. Chapter 9

Making Heroes

 _A/N: As always, thanks to **Msbuffy** for the hard work on editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Nine: In This Hour**

 _ **The Immortal Queen**_

"Your Majesty, are you ready to depart?" Janko asked sweetly of the Immortal Queen of Elfyria.

Sookie gave the Cervine an apologetic gesture to wait, and then looked at her eldest child in bemusement, "Leif, hold up the fort. Make sure your brother and sister are all manning their Gates on high alert. In my brief absence, Lord knows who will try to enter the human realm and be a nuisance."

Her eldest son nodded with a roll of his eyes. "Don't worry about it. Beck and Rhye are at the two Gates, and Fa, Etra, and Cree are popping from Gate to Gate making sure that the two of them have ample back-up."

The queen nodded before turning to the beautiful Demon woman who was affectionately rubbing her growing belly. "Mary," Sookie bowed her head to kiss the growing bulge of her first grandchild, "take care of this one while I'm gone."

"Yes, Mamma," Mary smiled sheepishly. Cupping the Demon's cheek, Sookie gave an affectionate kiss to the younger woman's crown. "Is everything going to be all right, Mamma?" she whispered worriedly at the continued nervous kisses being planted on her head.

"Yes, this task I've been given is just a little worrisome," Sookie confessed as she pulled away, gave Mary's belly one last, loving caress, and then took her husband's hand. "We're ready, Janko," Sookie told the Cervine.

Janko nodded, leading the Queen and King of Elfyria to their carriage. Pan and herself loped alongside the vehicle as it bounced toward the deep woods. Dawn was threatening the horizon, and they knew in only a few, brief moments, it would either rise once more with all threats removed, or never alight the trees again.

"Calm, Dear One," Eric whispered, stroking his wife's ear, and causing her to tremble. He loved how stimulating her ears aroused his mate so effectively.

" _That_ is not the way to keep me calm," she choked feverishly.

"No, but it does take your mind off the circumstances," Eric teased, leaning in to give her cartilage a slow, firm caress of his tongue, making his wife moan. "I miss seeing you this dressed down," he commented after making his wife pant in need. She was clad in jeans and a simple red t-shirt. She had on a pair of sneakers, and he thought she looked far younger dressed in such attire than her royal gowns or riding clothes.

"Do you think we'll ever see each other again?" Sookie whispered, making Eric sigh.

"Yes, Dear One," Eric told her assuredly. "You have overcome so much. You went from a simple barmaid to a Queen of an entire realm. Your magic has made all forms of Supernaturals take a knee in reverence to your power. You have taken bullets, and given birth to immortals! There is nothing you cannot do."

"Still, I really don't do the whole murdering people thing very well," Sookie hissed.

"First, Chronus is not a person. He is a Titan, and hell bent on ending everything. Second, Endymion has already told you that another version of yourself will handle your hesitations," Eric reminded.

Sookie nodded while the carriage began to slow, and she saw the large door to the Void of Time and Space growing larger and larger. Vilga, the leader of the Cervine, greeted the pair.

"Are we on time?" Sookie asked with hope.

Vilga gave her a small smile, "Yes, Your Majesty. You have arrived on time. Endymion is expecting you."

Turning to her husband, Sookie waited expectantly for the life-affirming kiss he always offered before a big event. He did not disappoint. Sweeping Sookie into his arms, Eric's mouth pressed tightly to hers, his tongue caressing against hers, his body pressing intimately to her own….

"I love you, My Sookie," Eric murmured against her lips. "Go do what it is you do."

"What is it I do?" Sookie whispered breathlessly, still partially bent backward in his embrace.

"Bring hope to life."

The Queen of Elfyria smiled at her husband lovingly while she felt his Faith in her blossom inside of her heart. That Faith exploded, lighting her body up from the inside and building starlight behind her eyes.

Energized and confident, Sookie approached the large door of the Void. Raising her hand, her knuckles rapped thrice against the stone surface, and the door split marginally, admitting her entrance.

"Eric chose a good emotion," Lukas' voice was relieved.

Sookie smiled at The Voice and nodded, "He really did. When do the other Sookies arrive?"

"Shortly," Lukas told her. "Your Majesty, this is Oceanus," He gestured to a black Cervine rather unceremoniously.

"A pleasure to meet you," Sookie nodded.

Oceanus' golden eyes cast downward, "To have you here is my gravest moment, Your Majesty. It is evidence of my failure."

"Never believe that, Oceanus," Sookie told her soothingly. "We all need help sometimes."

Lukas cleared his throat, "Oceanus and I cannot go with you to confront Chronus. We must remain here in a last effort to deter him from opening the Door."

"I understand," Sookie took a deep, calming breath.

"In a moment, the Door will be struck simultaneously in three dimensions. Opening the Door across multiple dimensions simultaneously is simple enough, but opening it enough to allow something other than magic to pass through is not so simple. You will feel as though you are going to be sucked through the Door. You must brace yourself for that."

"Yes, Endymion," Sookie nodded in understanding.

"When the Door opens, there will only be a moment before you are combined into a single form with three other versions of yourself. The Angel has been instructed to perform her task the moment the Door closes behind her. _All_ of you have been instructed to think only of your Bonded as they walk through the Door."

"Yes, Endymion," the Queen whispered with a sharp nod.

At that moment, the sound of three knocks echoed thrice through the Void, then were swallowed by its endless depths.

"Concentrate, Sookie," Endymion said when the Door began to open.

 _ **The Angel**_

"This is Elfyria?" Sookie whispered, clutching her Bonded's hand. The sky overhead was gray and threatening with storms. The trees were naked without their leaves, and a distant mountain thundered with volcanic activity.

"It was," a solemn voice replied, and Sookie looked stunned at two deer-like creatures before her. "We are here to escort you to the Door of Space and Time."

"What are they?" Sookie whispered to Eric after he lifted her into his arms and flew through the grim woods in the creatures' wake.

"Cervine, part deer, part humanoid," Eric replied. "When they fight together, they can ward off hordes of vampires."

"Jeez, why don't we just throw them into the Void?" she joked.

"They are not descendants of Chronus," Eric shrugged.

"Neither am I," Sookie pointed out.

"Endymion said there was a way for you to survive in the Void. What are you supposed to wish for exactly?" he asked.

"He specifically told me to say, 'I wish to make me one.' I'm supposed to say that as soon as the Door closes behind me."

"One with what?" Eric wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Sookie confessed. "Endymion is immune to my telepathy, and he said only descendants of Chronus retain memories from the Void. I guess he's hoping I don't have more knowledge than I should."

Nodding with begrudging understanding, Eric slowed as the Cervine decreased their pace. Ahead of them, he could see the unmistakable entrance to the Void of Time and Space.

"You have arrived on time," an older-looking Cervine nodded approvingly at the couple. "You will knock on my mark."

"Yes, Ma'am," Sookie assured, standing before the door. Looking at her Bonded, Sookie gave him a bemused smile, "Tell me how I got wrapped up in all of this again?"

"Adairia vouched for Endymion," Eric smirked. "Despite her metamorphosis, you still hold your grandmother's opinion in the highest regard."

"I guess that's true," Sookie mumbled, turning to face the Door. "Still, being told _I'm_ needed to save not just _my_ world, but _all_ worlds, is very daunting. I'm nothing all that special. I feel like I'm just being asked to do this because of my powers."

Eric nodded, "You are, but that does not make you any less important. Endymion needs your abilities specifically. I am sure there is a reason for that."

"Knock!" the old Cervine commanded suddenly.

Sookie's hand raised to the Door as she simultaneously unleashed her angelic wings. As her fist struck the barrier, she felt the Bond explode with Love for her. A smile tugged widely at her lips. Nothing was more important to an Angel of Love than the emotion her Bonded sent her in that moment.

 _ **The Guardian**_

"Come on Garm, Fenrir," Sookie urged her hounds through the Gate to the land of the Fae. "Eric, this is spooky. Who would have thought there was a portal to a different realm down the hill from where I used to live!?"

Eric chuckled, "I knew of it."

"Really? You never said anything," Sookie pointed out.

"It never came up," Eric replied amusedly, wrapping an arm around his Bonded's waist as they began walking through the portal between realms. Garm and Fenrir walked on either side of the vampires, making Sookie giggle and think of them as her bodyguards.

As they emerged in Elfyria, Sookie grimaced, "Not really what I thought the world of fairies would look like," she confessed at the bleak landscapes. "I was thinking purple skies and bright blue foliage, or something…."

Eric laughed while he hoisted Sookie atop Garm before leaping onto Fenrir. The two beasts tore off into the forest, their Masters' guides to the Door of Time and Space.

"It was once very beautiful," Eric told her sadly. "Unfortunately, Elfyria was war torn, and its magics became corrupted. When that happens, the Pantheon reabsorbs all magic and life from the realm until all that remains are the Cervine and the Door of Time and Space."

"So they sterilize the realm?" Sookie gaped.

"Pretty much. Elfyria cannot be all good, nor all bad. I have told you that Elfyria is the source of all magic… Magic is neither all good, nor all evil. Therefore, Elfyria cannot be all good or all evil. If it is too far swayed from one direction or the other, then the Pantheon sterilizes it, and an Elfyria of another dimension supplies its magic to ones in need."

"You are late!" an old Cervine chastised as the pair arrived at the Door and jumped from the backs of the giant hounds they had ridden. "Quick! To the door!" The creature ushered her. "On my call. Three, two, one, knock!"

As Sookie's fist quickly raised to strike against the stone door, she felt the unwavering Confidence pour into her through Eric. She smiled back at him as her knuckles rapped thrice against the Door, and pursed her lips in a distant kiss. "See you soon, Darlin'," she called as the Door began to open.

 _ **The Gatekeeper**_

Sookie stood poised in front of the Door of Time and Space. Eric's hand was resting on her shoulder, rubbing it back and forth soothingly.

"Sorry I made us get here so early," Sookie murmured after a moment.

"You are anxious to get in and help our son," Eric chortled. "I wish I was going with you."

"I do, too," Sookie leaned her head against his hand briefly. She could feel the Bond filling with Admiration, and it made her spirit soar. "It's almost time," she realized as she understood what he was doing. "Why admiration?" she asked.

"Because for so long in the beginning you sought my approval. You soaked it up like a sponge. Now, standing before you, you are long past someone who needs my nod. You are a woman I have loved and admired for decades. Becoming the woman you are now? Accepting both your light and darkness, your strengths and weaknesses, and being at peace… There is nothing more worth my admiration than you, Sookie."

"I love you, Darlin'," Sookie told him, and leaned in for a brief kiss that was interrupted by the old Cervine's command to knock on the Door.

As the door crept open, Sookie took a deep breath, visualizing Eric as she stepped through the door. With each step, she felt coldness seep into her bones. Her body felt as though it was being consumed by the mists swirling threateningly at her ankles.

With an unworldly tremble, she heard the door shut behind her, and then a very familiar voice shouted out into the din, "I WISH TO BE ONE!"

Suddenly the cold eased away, her body felt hot, and her shoulders ached with a pressure unlike anything she had ever known. Memories flooded her, to the point she thought her head would split, but beneath the memories, Sookie focused on her Bonded's face. She held onto his admiration, love, faith and confidence. Using his face as her center in this storm, Sookie felt relief as the pressure in her back exploded into an alleviating breeze against her arms.

"I was right, it _did_ work!" she heard her son's voice, and looked up to see Lukas standing before her.

"You weren't sure?" Sookie asked in annoyance, looking at her wings that seemed both familiar and foreign while they ghosted around her like ivory specters.

"I was prepared for failure," Lukas answered. "If the fusion could not happen, or it did not give you the capacity to remain without being erased, we had enough time to separate you four and return you home."

Sookie frowned, but eventually shrugged and said, "Well, at least there was a failsafe in place."

Lukas nodded slowly, "I would never risk a single one of your lives. All of you are far too important to lose. Even if this did not work, I would have found a way to contain Chronus eventually. I just don't know how much 'eventually' I have left."

"Don't worry, Lukas, we're here now, and we're here to do a job. Remember what I always told you?"

Lukas smiled, "It's important to do your job how it's s'pose to be done."

"And you know I take pride in that," Sookie told him firmly. "I can't be going home without doing what I came here to do. How would I ever face your father?"

"Well, you wouldn't necessarily remember you hadn't completed your mission," Lukas said thoughtfully. "Remember, those not of Chronus' bloodline will not retain alterations from the Void."

"What about me?" Sookie asked. "I mean, the Queen? I am a descendent of Chronus."

Lukas shook his head, "The Immortal Queen shares my magical line, not the bloodline. That is what made me a little uncertain about this entire venture. It was why I needed a failsafe at all."

"Right, right. You're _not_ incest," Sookie retorted.

Smirking, Lukas beckoned Sookie to him and pointed into the darkness, "Head into the shadows. Chronus will find you when you get to his depth. More than likely he will try to capture you and use you for a bargaining chip. Fight him, defeat him, and then Oceanus will guide you back to the door safely with her Time Key. It will look like a green beacon in the mists. You will not be able to miss it."

"Lukas, we won't let you down," Sookie told him reassuringly. "I've never felt so powerful. I feel like I could destroy worlds."

"That is exactly the power you will need to defeat a Titan," Lukas smiled at her. "I believe in you, Ma."

Sookie smiled, and patted her son's cheek before facing the darkness, her back to the door. She was not sure what she had expected when she had been told she would fuse with three other versions of herself, but it was not this smooth transition she had experienced. Her body felt right. Her strength of an Earth Fairy, her speed of a vampire, her unbreakable body of an Angel all felt natural. Her wings seemed familiar and comforting. The power in her felt reassuring and limitless.

Taking her first step into darkness, Sookie Northman was prepared for the trial ahead.

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Remember to review, everyone!**

 **-Andi**


	10. Chapter 10

Making Heroes

 _A/N: As always, thanks to **Msbuffy** for the hard work on editing!_

 _-Andi_

 **Chapter Ten: Ancient Power**

Sookie unconsciously touched the sword at her waist. _'Whose body are we in? This is the Gatekeeper's sword, but the Queen's clothes, the Angel's wings… Where's the vampire?'_ Trying to shake off her confusion, Sookie found herself laughing, "I'm about to face a Titan, and all I can wonder is whose underwear I have on right now."

She laughed to herself some more as she strolled deeper into the shadows of the Void. The Erics of their four dimensions still had their strongest emotions ringing into her soul. Their souls.

Drawing her sword, Sookie let it hang loosely at her side while she walked and listened for sounds of movement. She could not see her hands in front of her face in the darkness. The soft, reassuring effulgence of the Door was long gone.

"How am I supposed to fight something I can't see?" Sookie wondered aloud until she remembered her barrier aura emitted a soft light. Focusing her strength outward, a blue glow encased her and allowed her eyes to finally seek landmarks. The globe only illuminated the mists in front of her, but judging by the diameter of fog she could see, Sookie reasoned she had a fifteen-foot radius of sight, not much of a reaction time.

 _'What if he just waits until I've wandered around until I'm too weak to fight?'_ she asked herself. Perhaps a little goading was called for.

"Chronus!" Sookie called into the shadows. "Come out and face me!"

The silence was all that answered her, and Sookie frowned.

"Are you scared of one woman? A great Titan hiding in the darkness from a tiny blonde woman!?" she shouted, and did not miss the low rumble in the distance. Turning her body in that direction, Sookie smirked to herself and reached out with her telepathy. Eventually, a presence came within her range.

Though there was no thought, like a vampire, she could sense some awareness in the all-encompassing night. "I can _sense_ you," she taunted. "Do you really want me to have to seek you out? Why not come out and face death like a warrior!"

The roar that followed her insults only gave Sookie a brief moment to lunge away from the swooping arm. As Chronus came into view, Sookie found her body tilting back further and further. Her aura could not illuminate him entirely. His upper body remained shrouded in darkness. At nearly thirty feet tall, the Titan was a giant, and she, a dwarf.

"Seriously?" Sookie gaped in alarm when she found herself dodging another fist the size of an SUV. With vampire speed, she leapt onto that swinging arm and ran up its length until she saw the other arm coming to swat her like an annoying fly. Sookie jumped from the arm bridge, and flung out her sword, driving it into the Titan's back and coasting downward in a cascade of blood.

"You little flea!" Chronus snarled angrily, and his hand reached to smack her away, effectively sending the woman crashing to the ground. Winded, Sookie only managed to roll out of the path of Chronus' stomping foot. "I do not care how many women are in that body! None nor all are a match for me in the Void!"

"Listen, Buddy," Sookie ground out after she escaped another squishing, "if you weren't so hell bent on ending all the worlds, I wouldn't be here right now annoying you to death!"

"Ending all worlds!" Chronus roared with laughter, sweeping his fingertips toward the ground at her. "They will exist! As my world of playthings! My dolls! My toys!"

"Oh. My. God!" Sookie flicked her sword at a bulging tendon in Chronus' wrist and made him reel back momentarily. "I'll get ya some Fischer Price toys! Can this be over now?"

He snatched her from the ground at last, and brought her to his face. It was a face Sookie wished she could have gone her entire life without having seen. Chronus looked very much like a man. A man with giant bloodshot eyes, skin so pale and thin that it looked delicate enough to pierce with her thumb. His face was very wide and rounded, with a mop of matted, black hair flopped thickly atop his head. "Insolent witch!" Chronus snapped as Sookie gaped at him.

"And angel, vampire, fairy, a little Goddess, too," Sookie retorted, pushing her barrier aura outward and forcing his fingers open.

"How are you doing this!?" Chronus demanded when he found his grip loosened and Sookie tumbled thirty feet to the ground.

"Infinite power and an indestructible body," Sookie grinned, using her teleportation to * **POP*** near his ear and send her sword deep into the canal. Chronus screamed in pain, plucked Sookie out of midair, and sent her sailing.

 _'Admittedly,'_ Sookie thought, _'this all still hurts like a fucking_ _ **bitch**_ _!'_

"Indestructible or not, your body still needs nourishments to continue fighting," Chronus mocked. "I can fight you for centuries. Nay, _millennia_ and never grow weary!" he told her triumphantly.

Sookie lay on the ground, sent flying such a distance she could scarcely pick up Chronus' presence. Her mind was being consumed with doubt. She had just stabbed him in the ear canal, and he had reacted as if it was nothing. How was she supposed to weaken him enough to use Fairy Light?

"What is wrong, Melting Pot!?" Chronus roared from their battle arena. "Where is that sure fire spirit!? Where is that over-inflated confidence!?" He was mocking victoriously. "Are you finally realizing you are no match for the Titan Chronus!?"

Curling onto her side, Sookie held her aching ribs, waiting for the pain to recede and the breaks to heal. Chronus was right. A direct descendent of a God was too powerful. Lukas' faith in her was just as over-inflated as her own ego.

 _'But if I fail….'_

Sookie grimaced and crawled back to her knees before slowly rising to her feet. _'If I fail….'_

She thought of Lukas devoured by Chronus. Images of Leif, Beck, Astrid, and her unborn grandchild frozen for eternity as the figurines of the tyrant king, blazed red in Sookie's mind. All of the unmet soulmates frozen without their true loves in their lives… And poor Garm and Fenrir lost forever without the woman who first loved them after so many millennia of contempt rained upon them.

 _'Eric…'_ Eric standing hopeful before the door, believing in her, trusting her to accomplish what no God or Goddess could. Brushed aside like a paper lantern while the Door was flung open and the mists of the Void encapsulated every dimension.

 _'If I fail, we will never meet again,'_ Sookie walked slowly back to the arena from which she had been thrown.

"That ego will be your death," Chronus laughed at her.

"It is no longer ego," Sookie told him. "It is determination. If I fail, then all is lost."

"I would allow you to retreat," Chronus replied amusedly. "I knew myself to be victorious before this battle even began, Little Girl."

Sookie smiled grimly, "I cannot retreat. You would follow me to the Door if I ever found it again. This will be decided between you and me, even if I am unable to defeat you. I can hold you here for as long as it takes. Someday, maybe Lukas will find someone actually strong enough to defeat you. Until that time comes, I will remain, and I will keep you from throwing open the Door!"

The woman had not realized her body was beginning to glow with a new light while she made her declaration. Her mind had already resigned to centuries of unending battle, and could not fathom why the mighty Titan was leaning away from her.

"You cannot produce such light in this sacred place of darkness!" Chronus roared.

"With every spilled drop of my blood and every break in my bones, you will never meet the Door!" Sookie screamed as she erupted in a blinding pillar of light that could be seen clearly from the Door. Oceanus and Lukas held their breaths when they witnessed its startling glare.

Chronus roared in agony while the light flooded his darkness, casting the mists outward and burning him with its brilliance. The Titan fell to his knees as his skin blistered. His massive hands covered his eyes, and he shrieked at the burning of his flesh.

"Please!" Chronus screamed. "Mercy!"

"The Gatekeeper eliminates all threats to the realm she is sworn to protect! She will not stop until you are pile of ash! She will not hear your pleas!" Sookie told him harshly while she felt her body coil with another blinding flash. The intensity with which she radiated light shone like that of a new star. She could see for miles all around herself, and she focused that energy into a burning orb above her head. The new star shined blindingly above her, suspended directly above Chronus' head. "That star will burn until you no longer exist, Chronus, whether that be minutes or centuries." The mists around them fed the new star, making it beam and glow steadily without any more sacrificed energy.

"End me! For the love of the Goddesses and Gods! End me, Gatekeeper!" Chronus begged.

Retrieving her sword from where it had fallen, Sookie approached the Titan. "Relinquish your strengths, and I will take your head."

Chronus bowed his head to the ground and shakily pulled his matted black hair from his nape, "Please, Gatekeeper, end my suffering!" he begged again.

Sookie strolled toward the pleading Titan, arms raised to deliver the death blow. As her arms swung, so did his, but some part of the woman's brain had anticipated this moment. Sookie easily changed her saber's course.

As Chronus' arm came toward her, his arm severed at the wrist from the deadly blade's intervention. He howled in pain, and clutched at the dismembered appendage.

"For that," Sookie snarled, "you may lay there and burn slowly."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Sookie stood in silent vigil as Chronus' body slowly sloughed away and crumbled to ash on the grounds of the Void. While a large portion of her brain screamed in mortification, begging to look away, Sookie kept her eyes trained on her opponent. She would not be taken by surprise.

Soon bone was visible, and the screams subsided. Eventually all that remained where Chronus had once knelt in defeat was a mountain of ash. Using her telekinesis, Sookie gathered the ash and summoned her star to follow her to the radiating green light in the distance.

"Mother!" Lukas cried when the glowing woman came into view. "You did it!"

Smiling, Sookie nodded, and deposited the ash before them, "This is all that remains of Chronus. I think you should shoot it into the Sun just to be safe."

Laughing, Lukas nodded at her suggestion, "I will give it to Apollo. He will be sure Chronus remains saturated in light, although I do not believe even a Titan can recover from what you have done to him."

"Are you able to extinguish that star?" Oceanus asked curiously.

"I could reabsorb it," Sookie told her.

"I request that you do so. It is swallowing the Void's mist. That is not good," Oceanus explained.

Holding up her hand, Sookie smiled while the pair before her watched in fascination as the energy was reabsorbed slowly through her palm. When all that remained was a tender glow, Sookie handed it to Lukas. "A being like us is something that will never be seen again. Take this as a reminder of what you forged today. It is all the very best of me… Of us…." she told him before plucking one of her feathers. "May we separate and return home now, Son?"

Lukas smiled and nodded, "Yes, Ma. I will check up on you again soon. Thank you, all of you, for everything."

"I wish us to be four beings once more!" Sookie called, and suddenly, four different versions of herself stood in a row.

None of them said a word to each other, only offered smiles as Oceanus tapped the Door with her Space Key and the threshold opened before them. No words were needed between four women who knew each other better than anyone else. Silently they walked through the Door, and returned to the worlds they loved to be wrapped in the proud embrace of their Bonded.

As Lukas watched them leave, he looked at the shining globe in his hand, and smiled. "Now, what to do with you?"

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Remember to review, everyone! Finale is next!**

 **-Andi**


	11. Finale

Making Heroes

 _A/N: As always, thanks to **Msbuffy** for the hard work on editing! _

_A new story titled 'Catalyst' will debut the first week of December!_

 _-Andi_

 **Finale: Home Again**

"I knew you could do it," Eric whispered to his Bonded Gatekeeper.

Sookie held his hand while they walked lazily back to the portal to the human realm.

"I didn't," she confessed. Eric raised his eyebrows at her show of self-doubt. He had not seen that side of her in nearly twenty years! "Before the memories fade, I need you to remember for me."

"What, Dear One?"

"That I went up against something that could have easily killed me. I'm not invincible, Eric," she whispered. "I was there as a murderer. I was the only one of us who could _kill_ without remorse."

Eric frowned, "You were there because you are a warrior, Sookie. You are not a murderer. You are the Gatekeeper, and the protector of the human realm. You do not kill humans. You kill threats to humanity. There is a very great difference."

"What about Elfyria? Separation Sickness not being an excuse?" she urged his honesty.

Eric smiled at her fondly, "Sookie, Separation Sickness was very much an excuse. As for the deaths you brought under the influence of my bloodlust, they were all rapists and fiends. Claudine has told you that not a single guard you killed had not raped or abused her at some point during her incarceration. As for the Water Fae you dispatched, they were terrorists within this realm. They coerced and threatened Elfyria's people to do their bidding. Not a single one of them in that hideout were innocents. Do you not see? It is not remorse you lack. You are not cold hearted. You are a woman who understands that threats must not be taken lightly. You are certain and final in your duties."

"I delighted in killing André," Sookie told him quietly.

Eric sighed and pulled Sookie tightly to his body, "Yes, you did. I have delighted in kills, too, My Bonded. I know that you are not perfect. I know that I am not perfect either, but more than that, I know that you are perfect for me. Is that enough?"

Sookie finally smiled, "Yes, it is."

"What was Chronus like?" Eric asked curiously.

"Huge. Like a three story building!" Sookie told him with wide eyes. "Strong and… Wow, I can already feel my memories going foggy."

"But he is dead?" Eric asked quickly.

"Very," she assured, and then frowned. "Wow, I'm not used to losing memories like this… I can't remember the other Sookies at all, despite having all their memories at one point. I don't really like this."

Her vampire kissed her crown before pulling her into his arms and flying them the rest of the way to the portal. Even after several trips, he greatly disliked teleporting with her.

When they were through the Gate and on their way home, Sookie leaned her head against Eric's shoulder. She allowed her eyes to close wearily, and was not conscious by the time Eric had parked the car back in the garage and carried her to bed.

The vampire was in awe of his Bonded. She had destroyed a Titan! A direct descendent of a _God_! Never mind that she had help, His Sookie had still been instrumental to the unparalleled victory!

Familiar chimes tinkled in the distance, and a brief flash of light erupted beneath the crack between the door and the floor. Eric smiled at his son's arrival and awaited his entrance into the bedroom. * **Knock, knock***

Eric rolled his eyes, "Now you learn to knock?" he called after the door opened.

"Hi, Dad," Lukas came and sat on the edge of his parents' bed. "How is she doing?"

"Well. Tired, but well," Eric assured. "I did not expect to see you so soon."

Lukas shrugged and leaned in to kiss his mother's cheek, "I'm just awestruck. I had to see her again."

Eric smiled, "As am I. I knew she would succeed, but realizing what that success meant… It is humbling."

"I'm grateful she won't remember the power she wielded. She'd feel inept afterward," Lukas chuckled.

"I believe she was humbled after the events as well. She asked me to remember for her," Eric admitted.

"Remember what?" Lukas asked.

"That she is not invincible. To remind her that she needed much help to defeat a single opponent," Eric explained. "How long will she sleep; do you think?"

"Probably a good, long while," Lukas confessed. "The energy she unleashed was so intense, Oceanus and I could see it from the Door. Even though it was the Queen's energy, Ma still had to control it. All of them will be exhausted for several days, even the Queen."

"Thank you for believing in her. She has only ever wanted to know that you knew you could turn to her," Eric whispered.

"I've always known that," Lukas told him with a smile. "I've always known that about you, too, Dad."

"Thank you, Lukas," Eric felt his eyes rim with blood, and turned his gaze back to Sookie in an effort to hide his blossoming tears of parental joy.

"I can't wait to see what you two get up to, now that I won't be bothering you," Lukas chuckled.

"Just remember to knock," Eric teased.

Lukas laughed and nodded, "I could do that."

"Are all the other Erics and Sookies as happy as we are?" Eric asked softly, stroking his wife's hand tenderly.

"Oh yes," Lukas nodded fervently. "If they were not, their minds would not have been able to cooperate as seamlessly as they did. I may have pulled the strings to gather the powers I needed for the ultimate contender against Chronus, but it's always been _you_ that made them heroes. The way you love her, protect her, and believe in her. You make her very strong, Dad."

"I am glad that I make her happy in worlds where she was not the broken little girl I found in the street. I am happy that I am meant for her in more ways than that."

"Dad," Lukas whispered.

"But none of those Sookies are _mine_ , and I am most grateful and overjoyed for _that,_ " Looking up at his son, Eric gently admonished him, "You have work you should be doing."

"Yes," Lukas rose from the bed, leaned in, and gave his mother one, last, departing kiss on the forehead before leaving the room, and heading back to his Lookout.

"Eric," Sookie murmured in her sleep.

"Yes, Dear One?" Eric asked quietly.

"Mac'n'cheese?" she requested softly.

"Mac and cheese," he agreed with a smile. He kissed her lips gently and went to the kitchen to prepare the meal even he could not screw up.

As he set a pot on the stove to boil, Eric wondered what the future held. With no son to raise, and no ancient powers to defeat, what would become the new 'normal' for him and his Bonded? The possibilities were endless, the opportunities were vast, and yet, all he could dream of in his long, long future was lying in bed with his Bonded and kissing her for the remainder of eternity. All he could fathom was being wrapped up in her arms and warmth until the end of time.

 **Fin**

 **A/N: Remember to review, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this fast paced sequel!**

 **-Andi**


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